Immortality Through Death
by Under the Setting Sun
Summary: Deeks is looking for a way to become human again, after a few millennia of being immortal. Hetty is the woman to give he his chance, but it will cost her everything to give him what he wants. Then again if she give Deeks what he seeks, she will get what she has want for far longer than Deeks wanting to be human again. Vengeance against the man who had betrayed her long ago.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: The basic idea behind the story is a cross between N.C.I.S. Los Angeles and the Highlander series. I will use characters from the TV show to rewrite key scenes from the movies, even the knockoff movie that ended the series: Highlander: The Source, alongside my own story. This story should be a little more interesting than my previous stories. A word of warning, big named characters are going to be killed off that haven't died in the show, but their deaths are necessary for the story. And the usually disclaimer applies: (which I haven't done in a while) the characters that appear in this story are property of C.B.S. broadcasting company._

I find myself floating around Los Angeles for a couple of days. I can hear Hetty's words echoing in my head. _Stay in Los Angeles for a week. After that allotted time, take the five thirty P.M. flight out of L.A.X. to Glasgow, Scotland. After you land in Glasgow head north for a hundred miles, and then you will find the Source._ I find myself longing for the old days when I thought death was the end of it all. Mortals see immortality as the wonderful gift to take advantage of. To me it's been nothing but a curse. Having to kill to have continued life has been nothing but a burden.

"Deeks. Or is it Ashono?" Kensi asks.

I'm in the boat shed sitting on the couch in the main room. "Yes to both." I say.

I look up to see Kensi come walking in the backdoor. I remember the first time I set eyes on her. The organ in my chest known as a heart, which I had completely forgotten about for a few millennia, had skipped a beat. I thought I had gotten my wife back, but then I remember that she had passed on from this world a long time ago. I had to stop myself from walking up to Kensi and pulling her into my arms and kissing her like I did with my wife years ago. I found out later that Kensi felt the same.

"What are you still doing up this late?" I ask Kensi. It's after midnight I saw after checking my watch.

Kensi doesn't answer right away. She simply walked up to me, and then sits down straddling my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. Kensi planted a soul searing kiss on my lips, the same way that my wife use to do. "I'm guessing this brings back a few memories?"

"That, or I'm creating new ones." I say.

Kensi and I stare into each other's eyes for a time. "What did she look like? Your wife?" she asks.

"Just like you, right down to the mismatched eyes. The first time I saw you I had to stop myself from kissing you." I say.

"I guess it was a good thing I felt something for you." she said, kissing me again. We stare at each other some more. "Was it fast?"

"What was fast?" I ask

"Hetty's death?" she asked.

"Sheesh, make up your mind. Are we talking about my wife, or Hetty? But yes. Her death was more humane compared to most of the people we killed." I said.

"It's strange to know that she's gone. I thought Hetty would retire and sail off on that boat." she said.

"There's no retirement for our people. We only have one rule: kill or be killed." I say.

"So what? You're people's motto is: There can be only one?" she asked.

"Never thought of it like that, but I guess so." I say.

"Then why did Hetty leave you alive?" she asked.

"Same reason Hetty kept you around. I had my uses." I say.

"How did Hetty use you?" she asked.

"She tried to regulate our people for a time, plus she sent us out on missions to stop warlords and arms dealers, but the conclave that we had was destroyed. And we lost touch until I showed in Ops that day." I say.

"What happened to your buddy? What was his name?" she asked.

"Ray.'" I said.

"Yeah, whatever happened to him?" she asked.

"While Ray was a bit of an oddball in our little conclave, he still followed the rules. I think he didn't like living while his family had passed on before him. There was another immortal that was giving him problems. Ray wanted to move on, but he was too good at what he did. So I killed Ray, and took down that guy that was harassing him. Come to find out the guy I killed was a weapons dealer." I said.

"Was it hard to kill him?" she asked.

"Ray technically wasn't his real name. It was Reino, or I think it might have been Reino. After a while Ray grew tired of it. The killing. Missing his family. He just wanted to die, and move on. So I gave Ray one last battle. You know. To honor him as a friend and as a brother." I say shedding a tear in memory of my friend.

"Why did you take the name Martin Deeks?" Kensi asked wiping the tear.

"Not exactly sure. Hetty made me because I reminded her of a man who she encountered years earlier. I guess I was his doppelganger." I say.

There was a moment of silence for a time, and then Kensi rest her head on my shoulder. I could feel her breath on my neck, and it sent a shiver down my spine. And then I could feel Kensi' tears on my shirt. "I don't want to lose you." she said.

"If I don't do this, then you're going to die, but I'm going to live on without you. I need something else to live for beside continued life. I've seen enough of this world to last me a life time." I said.

"Or two, in your case." Kensi said, and all I could do was laugh.

Kensi stood up, and offered me her hand. I accepted it, and stood up from the couch. I saw that look in Kensi eye, one that said that she had a question to ask. "How old are you?" she asked.

"Five thousand thirty-two years old." I said.

Kensi mouth hit the floor. "You're going to have to tell me some of your stories when you return." Kensi said.

I kissed Kensi one last time, and then exit the boat shed. The next time I see Kensi I will be mortal, and ready to move on with my life. _Did Ray do the right thing? It was the right thing for him, but not me. I found my love again, and I plan on keeping her this time._ I think.

The week had passed, and I find myself at the airport waiting to board my flight. It wasn't long before I had visitors. "I not exactly sure why you two are here?" I ask, as Sam and Callen were walking up behind me, their shadows blocking out the sun.

"Are you sure we can't go with you?" Callen asked.

"Really, Callen? I killed Hetty, your mother figure, and you want to come along?" I ask, standing to face the partners.

"We've known Hetty for a ten years. Not once has she really aged. I'm pretty sure you gave what she wanted, anyways." Sam said.

"Where I'm going you two will be of no use. Not only that when this is all said and done I'm going to need a place to come back to." I say.

The three of us hear the P.A. system come on and announced that my flight was boarding. "Gentlemen. It's been real, and keep Kensi safe." I say.

I shake hands with both men, and then board my flight.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Ops-

"What do you have?" Kensi asked as she enter ops.

"Where's Deeks, Callen and Sam." Eric asked.

"Deeks is at L.A.X. catching a flight to Glasgow, and Sam and Callen went to see him off." Kensi said.

"Why is he going to Scotland?" Nell asked.

"Something Hetty told him to do. He never told me why." Kensi said.

"Will Deeks return after he's done?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. He has a reason to return. He has a job here." Kensi says.

Nell saw a look in Kensi eye that said that Deeks had another reason to return, but keep it to herself.

"We have a case. Dead marines on the training field at Pendleton." Eric said.

"Send the pertinent details to Callen and Sam. Tell them I will meet them there." Kensi said, and then exited ops.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Sam's challenger-

"Can you believe that Deeks is over five thousand years old?" Sam asked.

"If Deeks is five thousand, how old was Hetty?" Callen asked.

"Good point. You think Deeks is going to come back for Kensi?" Sam asked.

"Don't know why not? Although has going to have learn to be more careful. Five thousand years of recklessness, and now he has to actually be careful and not take needless actions." Callen said with a chuckle.

"True enough. Makes you wonder what Deeks has seen to make him want to give it all up, and become human again." Sam said.

"Five thousand year of immortality by killing others can take its toll on any man. I'm surprised he lasted this long." Callen said.

"Yep." Sam said, and then partners lapsed into silence.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Dulles airport-

I get off my flight in D.C. to make a connecting flight, but I had company waiting for me when I get to baggage claim.

"Director. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" I ask.

"It seems that you're traveling light." Director Vance said.

"I have a couple changes of clothes, and my weapon in this suitcase." I said, lifting up my luggage.

"After you're done in Scotland, what are your plans?" he asked.

"Make my way back to Los Angeles, if that's alright with you sir." I said.

"Hetty trusted you, and I have no reason to doubt her judgement. Although I wanted to debrief her." he said.

"There's no debriefing for that woman." I say. "She gave me the necessary information to complete my job, and then gave up her life so I could have the power to complete my job."

"How long has Hetty been on earth?" he asked.

"Ten thousand years, give or take a thousand years, or so." I said.

Vance's eyes almost popped out of his head. "You're right, there is no debrief for that woman. Although I regret I never did buy her here that scarf."

"Don't make that mistake next time." I said.

"Until next time, Agent Deeks." Director Vance said, offering his hand.

"Next time, Director Vance." I said taking the director's hand and shake good-bye.

Vance and I make our way over to the escalator, and then part ways as I go to check in for my next flight, as Vance was heading for an exit.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

One hundred miles north of Glasgow, Scotland-

There was a stone structure out in the middle of nowhere. On the south side of the structure a small portion of the wall disappeared, revealing an opening into the structure. A few minutes after the opening appeared, a man dressed in black appeared as if materializing out of thin air.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

A plane over the Atlantic ocean-

My plane had left Dulles four hours ago. The flight attendant was waking me up. "Sir as a courtesy to our passengers we recommend that you get up and stretch your legs." she said.

"Thanks." I said.

Deep vein thrombosis is not a problem for me, but I could stretch my legs. At this time, I decide to head to the bathroom and relieve myself. After exiting the bathroom, I head back to my seat taking a few deliberate steps. When I get back to my seat, I fall right back to sleep. The dream I had was when I said good-bye to Ray.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Fifty years ago: outskirts Scarborough, North Yorkshire-

Ray and I were walking for a time. I'm not sure what this is about, but we just survive a fight. The blood is still fresh on our clothes from our wounds as we escaped, but I can tell this isn't going to end well. I can sense the energy coming off of Ray, and when I sensed this in the past it always ended in a fight. Only this time the fight is going to end in death. We're passing a grassy knoll on a cliff, and thought this is good as any place to say good-bye.

"Ray." I say, and we both stop.

It was a moment before Ray spoke, but I knew he would ask for one last favor. "The first job I took I was supposed to kill this weapons dealer." Ray said.

"We're you successful?" I asked.

"Yes, I was, but it turn out that he became an immortal. That was four thousand nine hundred fifty years ago. Since then he took on his current profession. He flew under the radar for a while, then he killed about seven hundred immortals in the past five hundred years." He said.

"Seven hundred kills in five hundred years! He has been a busy man." I said

"The weapons dealer was behind the attack on our home. He has a tendency to attack large settlements like that, being it human or immortal, for profit." he said.

"Was the weapons dealer there when you went from him this time?" I asked.

"No, but his second-in-command was there. I know how that man works, if you kill one of his lieutenants he will challenge you in one-on-one combat." He said.

"I'm guessing the second-in-command is no push over." I said.

"Not without a little help, and dirty tactics." he said.

"Can we keep it honorable at least?" I say.

"They will come for you. The second-in-command had a list of targets on it. Hetty, you, and I were on the top of the list. Not only that the second-in-command is already dead. I took his head a few days ago." he said. "I was supposed to kill the weapons dealer, but I got the second-in-command instead."

"Wait a minute. Hetty?" I ask.

"That little ninja that ran the conclave a few thousand years ago." he said.

"She's still alive?" I asked.

"Last time I knew she was working with some big government agency in America. Possible C.I.A., or N.C.I.S., I don't know." he said.

"I'm guessing you went to kill the weapons dealer, but right hand man was waiting for you instead?" I asked, getting back to the situation at hand.

"Yep." he said.

"Nobody blames you, so don't even place it on yourself. Hetty couldn't have known that the man was going become one of us." I said.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked.

There was a moment of silence.

"Still longing for when days were simpler, and uncomplicated?" I asked.

Ray nodded. _I guess this was coming. Sooner or later he was going to ask me to do this. I just wish I didn't have to finish the job that Hetty asked of him._ I think.

"What should I carve on you stone?" I ask.

"Nothing. Just put my sword at the head, and walk away." he said.

"Where will the challenge take place?" I ask.

"Head to the town of Scarborough. There's a bar there where the man, Nelson Sanders, hangs out. Show them this, and they will take care of the rest." Ray said tossing me a necklace. We stood there staring at each other for a time, and then we drew our weapons.

"See you around, Ashono." Ray said.

"No. You won't." I say.

Ray lifted his sword and charged me. I lifted my sword, and parried his attack. _Ray is going to push me. To make sure I'm ready._ I think, and it was a grueling battle with both of us taking our fair share of wounds. I developed a sense, when fighting, which allowed me to find a weakness in my opponent's form. Ray's left shoulder always hitched when he swung from that side, so when he went to attack me from his left side, I side stepped out of the way as he was attacking. We made eye contact momentarily, so he understood what was about to happen, but all I could see was happiness. A shiver went down my spine the moment my sword had severed Ray's head from his neck.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Scarborough, two days later-

I made it to the town that Ray had mentioned, and it didn't take long for me to find the bar in question. I had to dodge a few cars. _What I wouldn't give to live in a time when those blasted contraptions didn't exist._ I think. The limp I had gotten during my fight with Ray was gone, and just in time. I see the man in question after entering the bar. A dark skinned man, six feet three inches tall, with a muscular frame. _This should be an interesting duel._ I think.

I walk up to the table, and stand there staring at the man as he was making out with a woman. As he was making out with the woman, one hand was massaging one of her breasts, as his other hand was south of the border. I could see that she wasn't wearing any underwear.

"Ahem." I cleared my throat

"Go away!" Nelson growled. I could see that another woman, who was on her knees, had opened his trousers and was giving oral pleasure.

"What are you deaf?" another man asked coming up from behind me. This man made the mistake of pushing me. I saw a sword that was leaning against the table next to me. I drew it, and severed the man's head from his neck.

Nelson looked at me, a fire blazing in his eyes.

"Now that I have your attention." I said, as I tossed the necklace to Nelson, and he caught in mid-air. I saw him become red with anger. "One hour. The factory on the outskirts of town." he said.

"I'll be there." I said, and exited the bar.

One hour later I was stepping out of the front door of the factory as Nelson was walking up to the structure, and he came alone. I see the sword that he brought with him had blade that was massive and long. I pulled my sword from my sheath

"Any last words?" Nelson asked.

"No." I said, and then Nelson unsheathed his sword and attacked me.

Everything about his style reminds me of someone else. From the way he charged me, to the way he swings his sword. Most of his attacks were lunges, as opposed to actual swings, albeit, I've seen good fighters get stopped by lunges so I better stay on my toes. _Nelson had been trained by an exile of the conclave._ I think.

Nelson was pretty solid, so I had a hard time find a weakness in his form. I had to fight conservatively, while taking a few risks. I parried, and dodged a lot of Nelson's attacks. Which in turn angered him. Then I realized this man's weakness. _He wants to relish the kill._ I think.

I was half a step slow in making the realization, and I was run through by Nelson's sword. _I've been stabbed numerous other time, but this particular stabbing sucked, let me tell you that._ I think.

I fell to my knees coughing up blood. A trickle of blood ran down my chin. Nelson pulled his sword out of me and thrust into the ground. I watched Nelson crack his in preparation of beating me within an inch of my life. By the time he finished I could only use one eye, and I could barely move. Amazingly enough, or he could have been that stupid, Nelson didn't even touch my sword arm and I can roll, even if it hurt. _A lot._ I think.

"All that noise you made, just to be put down like a rabid dog. What happened to the man that was supposed to kill me? Reino? Ray? I can't remember his name, but you didn't kill the man who brought us here. Not that it matters, which is beside the point. Any last words?" Nelson asked.

"Good-bye!" I exclaimed, as I cut Nelson's leg off at the knee.

Nelson fell over clutching his stump, which was bleeding profusely, and I rolled over and cut off his head. I was attempting to get back to my feet as the power transfer begun, but I was to beat up and bruised to move. So I rode the Quickening out laying on the ground.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Present day: Glasgow, Scotland-

I was getting off the plane in Glasgow. And I had company waiting for me at the baggage claim. A man and a woman.

"Can I help you?" I ask, as I was retrieving my luggage.

"I'm guessing you here because of the Source going active a day ago." he said.

"And what exactly does that have to do with me?" I asked.

"You luggage is big enough for a few changes of clothes, and a sword." the woman said.

"And?" I asked.

"You going to need some help if you want to get to the Source." the man said.

"It's a hundred miles north of the city." I said.

"Through terrain that is impossible to pass for one man alone." The woman said.

"Alright. Alright. Take me to wherever you guys are holed up at. We'll pool our resources, and then head north." I said.

 _A/N: I had to readjust the story to account for the actual events that I wrote. Sorry about that._


	2. Chapter 2

The three of us left the airport, and made our way to the apartment that my _partners_ had set up. The place is two miles from the airport on the outskirts of the city. I didn't even bother with the small talk.

"How many has the guardian killed?" I asked.

The pair shared a look, and then the woman looked at me. "How did know there is a guardian?"

"How did you know I was on the plane coming from Washington D.C.?" I asked.

"The person who was killed by the guardian said that you would be coming today." the man said.

"I know who the guardian is. The person who sent me told me he used to be. This is going to be tight, but if we're going to do this we do it my way." I say.

"Seriously. You just showed up and you think we're going to take orders from you?" the man asked, looking over his shoulder.

"The guardian is expecting us to gather our forces for a few days, and then attack." I say. "If we wait we're going to get slaughter before we even get going."

There was a moment of silence. "How soon until the rest of our group is ready?" the man asked.

"We were waiting on him to show. Everyone should be at the hideout." the woman said.

"How many are going?" I asked.

"Five." the woman said.

"Good, any more is just asking for trouble." I say.

"I'm glad you're optimistic about our chances." the woman said.

"What are you names?" I ask.

"Chuck." the man said.

"Kelli." the woman said.

"Deeks." I said. "A big group enhances our chances of being attacked before we get to the Source."

"True enough." Chuck said.

We lapse into silence until we reach the apartment. We get out of the car at the building that served as our _hideout_. It was a rundown apartment. _This isn't a cliché, whatsoever._ I think. We enter the building, and enter the first door on the right. I pull my sword and jacket out of my bag, and then head to the bathroom.

"Who's the surfer?" dark skinned man asked.

"His name is Deeks, Sean. He knows what were up against. We move in as soon as Deeks is ready, so pack your gear." Kelli said.

"He shows up out of the blue, and he's calling the shots?" an Asian woman asked.

"Yeah, Lianshi. Deeks knows the true identity of the guardian. On top of that it's been three days since Tuhon was killed." Chuck said.

"Tuhon? What was he doing in Scotland?" I ask cracking the bathroom door. The shower is running, and I'm in only a towel.

"He was the one that gave us the information, and told us that you would be coming. He sacrificed himself so we would have a chance to succeed." Lianshi said. Lianshi did a double take when she saw my abs.

"Tuhon was has been watching over the Source for centuries." Sean said.

"That's not true. I ran into him about few years ago. On top of being one of Hetty Lange's agent about twenty years ago." I said.

"Hetty Lange? She exists?" Kelli asked.

"She used to exist." I said, and then shut the door.

"Is this right? Letting Deeks calling the shots?" Sean asked.

"If we do go with our original plan, the guardian could kill us all before we even get out of the city." Kelli said.

The four of them busied themselves as they waited for me to finish my shower. I finish taking my shower, and step out to dry off. I'm dressed and stepping out the door when a man, clad in black, comes bursting in through bathroom window. Kelli had a view of the man and shouted. "GUARDIAN!"

My first instinct is to run. I hook my sheathed sword to my belt, grab Kelli's hand and shouted. "Clear out!" As I make my way to the door, pulling Kelli after me.

"Wait!" Kelli shouts. We stop long enough for her to grab her sword, which was already sheathed, and we filed out the front door. Chuck and Sean were right behind us. I was wondering where Lianshi was, but I saw the house light up, and I have my answer. "Don't stop until we get to the forest!" I say spotting the tree line twenty yards out.

We make the forest, but none of us stops running yet. We run for thirty yards into the forest before we stop and catch our breath. "We don't have much time. We need to get this show on the road." I say.

"We need more time than that." Chuck said.

"Lianshi was no match for the Guardian. We need to keep moving, or he will kill us all. Not to mention we're only a mere hundred yards away, or less, from a crime scene. We don't want to deal with the local P.D." I say.

"Fair enough." Kelli said already catching her breath. Kelli pulled out a compass, and found north. "This way."

Kelli put the compass away, and the four of us started heading north. It was going to be a long journey.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Los Angeles, Ops-

Director Vance had made his way to Los Angeles to oversee the transfer. "When does Hetty's replacement arrive?" Callen asked entering her old office.

"The replacement should be here in a day or two. Until then, you're stuck with me." Vance said.

"What's their track record like?" Sam asked, as he and Kensi joined the little pow wow.

"Their track record is impeccable. As a matter of fact, this person has save my life a time or two. So I expect you to give them as much respect as you do me. Hetty and her replacement used to work together in the C.I.A." Vance said.

"The C.I.A.? Seriously? Where do you get these people from?" Sam asked.

"With the death of A.D. Owen Granger over the weekend, we need somebody who isn't going to die on us that easily." Vance said.

Granger was recently accused of assaulting a woman, and was sent to county jail. Only problem is before he could be arraigned, someone paid off an inmate to kill Granger. Granger was taken to the hospital, but he died on the table. "I'm sorry to see him go. He was a tough man, and a resourceful one, too." Callen said.

"Where do we stand on the dead marines?" Vance asked.

"It went nowhere fast." Sam said.

"Whoever was using the marines, killed them so they wouldn't talk." Kensi said.

"We found the location where the burn phones were purchased." Nell said as she and Eric entered the office.

"Where?" Vance asked as Sam, Callen and Kensi turned to look at them.

"A shop on Santa Monica Pier." Eric said.

Director Vance look at his team, and three agents tore out of the condemned water treatment plant.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Five thousand years ago-

I was in shock at the size of the place that Ray brought me to. I had no idea what to expect, let alone prepared for what I was about to see. I turn a few circles after passing through the front door, but before I could enjoy the view I was approached by a tiny woman. I take a step back, as my hand lowers to hilt of my sword.

"Easy there kid. If I wanted you dead, I would have left you out there where the wolves were waiting." The tiny woman said.

"Okay than why have you brought me here than?" I asked.

"I brought you here because I have a need that you can fulfill." she said.

"When will that be?" I asked.

"Oh, not anytime soon. You're just getting start. I know you though. I know your type." she said.

"I didn't realize I had a type." I said.

"There are two types of immortals. One that lived for the thrill of the kill, and the other that does what's necessary to survive. The second type has no love for killing though." she said.

"I'm the first one?" I ask nervously.

"Oh, no. You are definitely the second one." she said.

"How do you know that I'm the second one?" I asked.

"Ask me again, later. Ask me when you had your fill." She said.

 _My fill?_ I think as the woman turns to walk away, and I lowered my hand from the hilt.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"It's Hetty Lange, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

"That's not my name." I said following Hetty.

Even after five thousand years those words still haunt me. It wasn't until four thousand years later did I realize what she meant.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Four thousand ninety-five years later, Los Angeles: Ops-

"Hetty, I have a question." I said entering her office.

"It's about time." she said.

"What?" I asked.

"I said it's about time you realized what I meant all those years ago, but the answer you seek I can't give you. Not yet. Ask me in five years, then I will give you all the answers you desire." Hetty said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

One week before I left for Glasgow, Los Angeles: Hetty's house-

"A drink Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

"Sure." I said.

Hetty pulled out a bottle of scotch that was over thirty years old. "You sure know how to pull out the stops." I said.

"That's on the shelf in the pantry." she said, as she pour the two shots.

"So tell me, Hetty. What were you going to tell me after I had my fill?" I asked.

"Every ten thousand years, at a location in Scotland, north of Glasgow, there is a stone structure. This stone structure is said to house the power that makes us immortal. Over the millennia we have dubbed it the _Source_." she said.

"What's the catch?" I asked.

"Excuse me?" she said.

"The Source is the life blood of the immortals. Okay, understandable, but what's the catch? You can't just walk in there and shut it off. What's stopping someone like you or me from doing that?" I asked.

"With the ever source of power there is a guardian." she said.

"You knew the man before he had become." I said.

"Yes. There were five us on that fateful day, ten thousand years ago, when we assaulted the Source the last time it went active. But we were doomed before our mission even began. One of our men had found the location of the Source, and we made plans to assault it before the guardian could even regain his power. One man among our group, his name was Larry Basser, he had other plans for the guardian." she said.

"How well did you know Basser?" I asked.

"In hindsight, I guess not well enough. Everyone knew the plan, and adhered to it." she said.

"Who took on the guardian?" I asked.

"Off all the people that went I was the strongest. Basser was second fiddle to me." she said.

"So while you distracted the guardian, Basser took advantage of the situation and killed the guardian. I guess I should ask the pertinent question. How do you shut down the Source? I ask.

"You have two choices after defeating the guardian. You can either spare the guardian, which gives you access to the Source so you can shut it down. Or you can kill the guardian." she said.

"And the cycle continues." I said finishing her sentence.

"Precisely." She said.

There was a moment of silence. Then it dawned on me, the meaning of Hetty's statement from five thousand years ago. "You didn't keep me around because I had my uses. You kept me around so I could exactly your vengeance against Basser." I said. I didn't even bother to call Hetty out on her actions because I was used to her shady actions. Not only that, Hetty was giving me the chance to become human again.

"So who else besides you made it out of the Source alive that day?" I asked.

"I'm the only one. As soon as Larry killed the guardian, I took off. Everyone else stared in horror as Larry lay waste to the plan, and then he killed them. One of them made it to the door, but I was already entering the woods when the person died. After the Quickening had finished, the door to the Source had shut and I was left to pick up the pieces." she said.

"So you spent the past ten thousand years killing immortals, becoming more powerful." I said.

"All the while I was waiting for you, or someone like you, to appear." she said. "And it seemed you had one tough journey to get here."

"I was shocked to see Marcel Janvier after our encounter over a century ago." I said.

"So your first encounter was in London back in the 1880's? That must have been something." she said.

"That's one less immortal in the world, and we're better off without him." I said. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Hetty pours one more, and downs it. "I told you everything that you need to know. You know what you have to do." She said.

"How did Larry become an immortal?" I asked.

"He was betrayed by his country. He was falsely accused for a crime he didn't commit, and they executed him for it." she said.

"I'm guessing he killed all those involved, and then disappeared." I said.

"Yep." she said.

There was a moment of silence. Hetty poured us one last shot for the two of us. "You want one last duel?" I asked, after downing the shot.

"Do you think you will come out on top like you did with you old buddy? On top that I want nothing more with this life. One last thing" she said.

"Yeah, what's that?" I ask.

"Stay in Los Angeles for a week. After that allotted time, take the five thirty P.M. flight out of L.A.X. to Glasgow, Scotland. After you land in Glasgow head north for a hundred miles, and then you will find the Source." Hetty said.

I pull my sword off my back, and then walk around to Hetty. She didn't flinch. Hetty poured one last shot, and then pulled her hair to one side giving access to her neck. _This feels wrong, but this is what she wants._ I think as I swing my sword and it separates Hetty's head from her body. The Quickening was short as always, but the power that I received was far greater than any other immortal I have kill. Once the Quickening had finished I get up off the floor, and exit Hetty's house. But not before I grab the bottle from the pantry. Whiskey that has been aged for fifty years. _I wouldn't be surprised if she bought this the day I killed Ray._ I think.

The shatter windows on Hetty's house, plus the neighbors on either side, will draw attention that I don't want. I call my contact in the L.A.P.D. to give him a heads up about the crime scene. Then I contacted Hetty's man, to come collect her body. I never asked what I should do for a burial, but the man coming to collect Hetty's body will know what to do.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Present day, Scotland-

The four of us made the arduously long hundred mile trek in spurts. We tried to stay off the main roads. I pull out a map that Hetty had stuck in my personal belongs without my knowledge, and it is a direct path to the Source.

"Deeks how good is this path that we're taking?" Sean asked.

"A friend of mine took this path over ten thousand years ago. Does the guardian know about this path? Maybe, so stay vigilant." I say.

"Assume that the guardian knows about it." Chuck said.

"Thus the statement about staying vigilant." Kelli said.

An uncomfortable silence comes over the group, but I keep an eye out for the guardian. I don't know if he has picked up our trail, or if he even remembers this path, but I'm not taking any chances. I've found a few landmarks that Hetty marked on the map. The funny thing about this map is that it's over ten thousand years old, and it's in perfect condition. Unless Hetty replicated the map, which is something I wouldn't put past her. I find an alcove that wasn't on the map, and decide to call it a night. I look at the horizon and the sun is beginning to set.

"We'll rest here." I said.

"Are you sure?" Kelli asked.

"It's not on the map. Whether by my friends design, or by other means, this seems like a decent place to hole up at for the night. Get a bite to eat, and then we'll take watch in four hour shifts. I'll take first watch." I said.

We all sit down to get something eat, and then Kelli, Sean, and Chuck lay down to get some rest. It was a quite night, and quiet morning. We eat breakfast, and keep moving. I don't want to take any chances. Larry could behind us, in front of us, or he could be coming out of the trees at any moment. We were climbing a hill when I started to hear strange sounds.

"Anybody?" Chuck asked.

"Or something." Sean said.

We continued to climb the hill, and when we reached the top we could see a stone structure in the distance.

"I take it that's the Source?" I asked.

"Yeah. According to Tuhon, if we can see the Source you're within thirty miles of it." Sean said.

"Let's keep moving. The forest had gone silent, and I'm hearing strange sounds." I said.

"The guardian is close by." Sean said.

"Don't even think about." I said.

"It's obvious you're the only one that has to make it to the Source." Chuck said.

"That still doesn't make it any easier to swallow." I said.

Sean drew his sword as we started to move forward. We were a few miles away when we saw the Quickening. "I hope Sean bought us some time." Kelli said.

"Not to sound like a dick, I hope Sean didn't kill the guardian, or we're all screwed." I said.

"A fair point." Chuck said.

A Quickening takes a lot out of an immortal, so a guardian is no different. We made the last twenty miles in decent time, but by the time we got to the door to the Source the guardian dropped down from the top of the structure, blocking access.

 _I figured it would come down to this. I was just hoping I could get access into the building before this. But then again, I guess it's better to get the showdown done and over with._ I think.

"You are quite resourceful, I'll give you that." the guardian said. "I didn't think anybody knew about that path."

"You missed judge the resourcefulness of an old colleague." I said.

"If you want to get to the Source, you have to get through me." he said.

I my sword off my belt, unsheathe sword, and then dropped the sheath to the ground. I brought my sword up to a guard position, and focus all my energy on the coming duel.

 _A/N: Starting next chapter I will flashback to when Deeks becomes an immortal, and show Deeks journey to the present. Once the Deeks makes it to the present then I will continue the story. Hope you enjoy._


	3. Part I

Five Thousand years ago, Scotland -

Everything was fuzzy, and I don't have a clue what's going on. I wake with a start, gasping for air. The first thing I do after waking is reach for my chest. I vividly remember being stabbed there, but now, whatever it was, the instrument had been pulled out of my chest and there was no scar.

 _What the heck?_ I think.

I was finally coming to my senses, and I had to roll dead body off of me. It takes me a moment to get sensation into my legs. I have no idea how long I had been out. It takes me a good ten minutes before I could get to my feet, and as I getting to my feet I see a friend come running.

"What's the problem Ray?" I asked.

"We need to move Ashono." Ray said. I could hear the urgency in his voice.

"I would love to, but I just woke up. And if I had to guess, I just came back from the dead." I said.

"Yeah, you were dead. Welcome back." he said.

We start moving south as soon as my legs are able, and amazingly enough I'm able to move as fast as I used to.

"You knew I was going to come back life?" I asked.

"No. I was just following orders." he said.

"Orders? Whose orders?" I asked.

"Some tiny, crazy ninja woman. You'll meet her, but for now we need to keep moving or we're both going to die. And these deaths will be for real." he said.

"Sounds awesome." I said as we continued running to the south.

I'm not exactly sure what the reason we're running for. Whether we're running from someone, or something, is still beyond me. I'll just ask Ray when we get to wherever we're going.

We had been running for about half an hour before Ray stops, and hands me a sword. "When the opportunity presents itself, cut off their head." he said.

"What? Why?" I asked, but Ray didn't answer because there two people coming after us.

I pulled the sword out of the sheath and prepared to defend myself. I look at the blade in my peripheral vision, and I can tell that the metal used in its construction is not from around here. The person who came after me was wild, feral almost. She was swinging wildly, and erratically. She was leaving herself open on a lot of her strikes. I either parried or outright dodged most of this woman's attacks.

The next time I dodged the woman's attack I stepped off line an inch, and then effortless swung my sword, decapitating her. And what came next, the pain that I felt, was like nothing I have every experienced before. The funny thing though, I felt stronger, albeit, drained. I looked up in time to see Ray decapitate his victim. I watch as bolts of lightning arcing from the dead man, and going into Ray's body. The trees nearby were blackened by the lightning that had transferred from the man that Ray killed to him. I looked back at the dead woman, and the ground around her body was also scorch from the lightning that had arced from her to me.

"That never gets any easier." Ray said.

"What do you mean that doesn't get any easier? How many times have you experienced that?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's probably pushing at least two hundred times." he said.

"TWO HUNDRED? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?" I exclaim.

"Keep your voice down, will you? I don't know how many more are in the area." he said.

"You mean there's more?" I ask, my voice dropping a few notches.

"Yeah. That's why we need to keep moving. I will take you to my _boss_. She will explain everything." Ray said.

We start moving again, and we don't stop until sun down. Ray found a cave for us to hole up for the night. Ray set out a small meal, but I don't feel that hungry. I still eat anyways. At sunrise we push off again, and we don't stop to eat lunch. But by dinner time we're approaching a small village, but what was breath-taking was the fortress that was behind the village. I've seen a few fortresses in my life, but this is impressive. We stop in the village because it's another day's journey to the fortress.

We wake before the sun rise, and were at the fortress by late afternoon. As we were approaching the fortress, Ray broke off to go do something. Sounded like giving a report. I was in shock at the size of the place that Ray brought me to. I had no idea what to expect, let alone prepared for what I was about to see. I turn a few circles after passing through the front door, but before I could enjoy the view I was approached by a tiny woman. I take a step back, as my hand lowers to hilt of my sword.

"Easy there kid. If I wanted you dead, I would have left you out there where the wolves were waiting." The tiny woman said.

"Okay, than why have you brought me here than?" I asked.

"I brought you here because I have a need that you can fulfill." she said.

"When will that be?" I asked.

"Oh, not anytime soon. You're just getting start. I know you though. I know your type." she said.

"I didn't realize I had a type." I said.

"There are two types of immortals. One that lived for the thrill of the kill, and the other that does what's necessary to survive. The second type has no love for killing though." she said.

"I'm the first one?" I ask nervously.

"Oh, no. You are definitely the second one." she said.

"How do you know that I'm the second one?" I asked.

"Ask me again, later. Ask me when you had your fill." She said.

 _My fill?_ I think as the woman turns to walk away, and I lowered my hand from the hilt.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"It's Hetty Lange, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

"That's not my name." I said following Hetty.

"I know it's not you name. Your name is Ashono MacLeod. Your father was farrier. Your mother was seamstress. Your wife also was a seamstress. You had two kids: one boy and girl. Your family is either dead or will be dead within the next half century. There are people out to get you because you are immortal. You best bet is to leave Ashono behind, and take on you new identity I gave." she said.

"If you don't mind me asking, but why Mr. Deeks?" I asked.

"Calling people by their last name is an old habit of mine. The full name I gave you is Martin Deeks. I gave you that name because over a century ago I met a man exactly like. So much so you could be the man's doppelganger." she said.

I took a moment to process Hetty's words. Coming back from the dead. Leaving my family behind. "Let's say hypothetically that none of the wolves came after, which we both know isn't true." I said, to which Hetty nodded. "What would happen if I went back home?"

"Your family would grow old and die, but you wouldn't age at all." She said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Immortals don't age. Our genes can break down and deteriorate, but as soon we kill another immortal and cause a Quickening we gain the other immortal's power and restored to full health." She said.

"Quickening? What's a Quickening?" I ask.

"The Quickening is what we call the transfer of power when we kill another immortal." she said.

"Aside from death, and other immortals, there would be no reason for me to return, would there?" I asked.

"Nobody knows how immortals are made. Not only that, we're a sterile breed, us immortals." she said.

"Wait? What?" I asked in total shock.

"We're sterile. Even if you could go back, you could never have any more children with you wife." she said.

I was silent for a moment, and then I asked. "What can I do to get my mind off my current predicament?"

"Let me evaluate your abilities, and then I will have an assignment for you." she said.

"One last question. Assignment?" I asked.

"You might say that we police our people. This is the headquarters to the British Isles, and a portion of western Europe." Hetty said, and then walked away.

I was studying under Hetty for a whole month before she sent me out on my first assignment. I'm not exactly sure how this works, but all I know is that an immortal is causing problems, and it's my job to put him down. I make my way out of the fortress, but I grab a horse because I have a decent of amount of ground to cover.

The town I was going to was two days ride from home. When I get there my target was causing a ruckus outside a bar. I get off my horse and slowly walk up to the incident. I can hear the crowd chanting witch, and demon, and other words of the sorts.

"Can help you sort out your problem?" I asked.

"Nobody can stop this demon, so what makes you think that you can stop him?" a man in the crowd asked.

"Demons can't be killed, and witches can't be killed the usually way. This man is neither a demon, nor a witch." I said.

"Prove it!" a person in another part of the crowd asked.

"Isn't obvious. You take the man's head." I said.

When I mentioned decapitating him, the man took off running through the crowd. The crowd parts for me to chase after the man, weaving through the buildings in the village. I was gaining on him, and as he was cutting back towards me. I was on a collision course with the man, and he didn't even see me coming. I tackled the man on his blindside, and we went tumbling down a hill. By the time we finished rolling the man had rolled free of my grasp, and was already back on his feet.

"Who sent you?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" I asked getting back to my feet.

"Yes it does. I was hunting someone, and I was wounded and left here in this village." he said.

"That's it?" I asked getting back to my feet.

"I swear that's the truth." he said.

"Believe me, that's not it. That may be your story, but if that was the truth I wouldn't be here." I said.

The man didn't even hesitate, he drew his sword as I was drawing mine. We crossed swords for a few strikes, but this wasn't even a competition. The man was actually a young teen who had his life stolen from him at a young age. _And here I am to end it completely._ I think as I found an opening and severed his head from his body. The Quickening from this teen was nothing compared to the woman I killed a month ago.

I was able to move shortly after the Quickening had finished, so I cleaned off my sword and sheathed. I climb back up the hill. At the top of the hill there was a crowd of people waiting.

"What was that electricity we saw?" a child asked.

"The man had constructed a device that had harnessed electricity as a weapon and tried to use it against me." I said to the child. I look at the person who was the town mayor. "You won't have any more problems from that man anymore."

I head back into town, and grabbed my horse. On my way back to the fortress my mind wondered to Cortana, my lovely wife. She had creamy tan skin, long dark-brown hair, and two mismatch brown colored eyes. I think how I will never see her again, never hold her again. But if what Hetty says is true that I won't be able to have children every again, let alone having to watch my family die as I live on, I guess it's better this way.

After two days Hetty was waiting for me at the stable when I returned. And Ray was with her, too. "Ray. Hetty." I said greeting my boss and friend.

"Hey Deeks." Ray said.

"Welcome back Mr. Deeks. I take it your task wasn't too difficult?" Hetty asked.

"I had to kill a teenager." I said.

"Get used to it." Ray said.

"I said that I had no control over who becomes an immortal." Hetty said.

"Just promise you won't send me after another teenager?" I asked.

"Okay." Hetty said.

I headed to the armory and hung up my gear. I got a shower and a hot meal, and then I was off to the training room to keep my skills sharp until I head out for my next job. I've been back a month, and I see everyone go out at least twice, and I'm still here. I start to get restless, and I have to stop myself a few times from taking it out on other people in the training room. One day Ray had took me for a walk down by the river that was below the fortress. I look back up at my home, and then out at the river. I find a few smooth stones, and then I skip them across the surface of the river.

"You okay?" Ray asked.

"Other than not having a job to do at the moment, and endless training, I'm fine." I said.

"You are not fine." Ray said.

"You know what I mean." I said.

"I do, but you know full well that you aren't fine." Ray said.

"Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

Both Ray and I turned to the stairway that lead from the fortress.

"Yes, Hetty." I said.

"I have your next mission. I apologize for taking so long, but the logistics for it took longer than I expect it to. Grab you gear. There's a boat that will be docking here with the hour." Hetty said.

"We have a dock beneath the fortress?" I asked blankly.

"Why else do you think I chose this place?" Hetty asked.

"I've been dead for two months, technically, and I'm still learning new things." I said.

I head up to the armory and grab my gear. As I was exiting the armory, Hetty was waiting for me. "You first mark is in London England. After that you are heading to Paris, France." Hetty said.

"Two cities I never knew existed until now." I said. I grabbed the paper from Hetty, and then head down to the dock. I board the ship, and then went to stow my gear. I haven't been on a ship in two months, but I grew up on ships. I was a fisherman in my previous life. Come to think of it I was wondering how I wound up on land in a battle, especially sense I wasn't really trained for war. _Or at least on land._ I think. I feel the ship push off from the dock, and then it sails out to sea out to sea. When we get out into open water I feel myself come alive. I haven't felt this good since I'm became an immortal. I t take us about five days to get to London.

After the ship docks in London, I get off and make my way off the dock. I had just cleared customs when I was approached by a child. "Are you Deeks?" the girl asked.

"Didn't your parents tell you not to talk to strangers?" I asked.

"I've seen stranger men and women than you walking theses streets." she said.

"Really. How strange?" I asked.

"I've seen murders, rapists, and even a child molester, or two." she said.

"Wow. It seems like you have an ear to the ground. And yes my name is Deeks. Did Hetty let you know I was coming?" I asked.

"Yep. I have a lead on your man. Follow me." she said.


	4. Chapter 4

I follow the girl, who Hetty had somehow finagled some kind of contract with her, three blocks from the dock to a carriage. I get in the carriage, and the driver takes off. The passenger waiting for me was a woman in her mid-thirties, about five feet four inches tall, long flowing brown hair, baby blue eyes, tone pale skin, and lips that were a faded shade of pink.

"You Deeks?" the woman asked, I can hear a foreign accent.

"Yes." I say suspiciously.

"Is there a problem?" the woman asked.

"I get grilled by the girl near the docks, and now I'm getting grilled again." I asked.

"It's a precaution." the woman said in a French accent. _I remember someone back at the fortress who had a French accent._ I think.

"People pretending to be who they aren't?" I asked.

"It has happened a few times in the past." she said.

"As I said earlier. I'm Deeks." I said.

"Laurette Renard." Laurette said.

"What brought you to London?" I asked.

"Hetty." she said.

"What about you little one? How did you get hooked up with Hetty?" I asked.

"I was working the docks one day when I realized that I had network of spies in place. Hetty come to free me, but in turn I had to use the network to help her and any of her friends. And my name is Johanna Jones, but everybody calls me Jo." Johanna said.

Jo was about four feet five inches tall, fare skin, and reddish-brown hair. "Jo it is. So what can you tell me about my target?" I asked.

"The man you're after has been in London for about two weeks. Before that he was in Paris, France meeting with an associate." Laurette said.

"Any indication that my target is about to leave the city?" I asked.

"Our informants are saying that he isn't going to be leaving anytime soon." Jo said.

"But?" I asked.

"There are some big players coming to town. We don't know how big, but there are trails leading away to Asia." Laurette said.

"Got any nicknames?" I asked Laurette.

"Lara, if you must." Lara said.

"Good. It's easy to shout Lara, as opposed to shouting Laurette." I said.

The carriage was slowing down to stop in front of a big complex with guards posted at regular intervals. "What is this place?" I asked stepping out of the carriage.

"This is the complex for government in all of London." Lara said.

"So pretty my city hall?" I asked.

"Yep." Jo said.

"Your target is going to be leaving the side exit over there in two minutes." Lara said.

I start heading over to the fence with the exit. On my way I pass a booth, and realize that I stick out like a sore thumb. I look at Lara and mouth _money_ , and she throws me a pouch with money in it. I count out the necessary money. I pay for an overcoat and a hat, and then make my way over to the fence. By the time I get there my man had already exited the building, and was nearing the fence.

I walk with the group as it exits the grounds. I give the group some space, and pull the hat lower on my face to obscure my features. I pick up a few pertinent details as I follow the group. There's a ball later in the week. A meeting involving all the leaders that govern the city. _It sounds like there are quite a few leaders._ I think. I don't bother listening to the rest of the conversation because someone looked over their shoulder, so I stopped off at the nearest store, and watched as the group kept going. I was about to lose the group when something Jo said sparked my memory. I saw a group of children playing across the street.

I stepped out of the store to talk to the children. I look up the street to see the group had stopped, but continued discussing whatever was necessary.

"Any of you work with Jo?" I asked the group.

"We all work for her." A little girl said.

"I need you to keep eyes on that group down there." I said.

"You don't need us to keep an eye on the whole group." another girl said.

"Oh, yeah. Who then should it be?" I asked.

"Evan Roth, he's the guy you want us to keep an eye." a boy said.

I pulled out a five coins, one for each child in the group. "Have at it." I said.

The children each took a coin, and then dispersed. "Oh, mister. Jo's house is on Baker Street." the first girl said.

"Thanks." I said, and walked away.

I hailed a carriage, and rode it all the way to Baker Street. The sun was beginning to set when I got to Baker Street. I paid the fare, and then head up the street. It didn't take long for Jo to pick me up, and take me back to her place. "I see you're already using my kids to your advantage." she said.

"Your kids are everywhere, and nowhere. Seen, but not seen." I said.

"Very true. That man is dangerous. He's already killed two men, and he's threaten two more. He has the wives of several men in this city in compromising positions. So be careful with using me kids." Jo said.

"Got it." I said as we entered the house.

"So what did you learn?" Lara asked.

"There are a lot of big events coming up, but I have to get him alone." I said.

"You're asking for a miracle." Lara said.

"Oh." I said.

"His house is heavily guarded, and his office is patrolled regularly." Jo said.

"Everyone makes a mistake somewhere." I said.

"Jo!" came a voice from outside.

The three of us turn to see a group of Jo's spies come running in the house. "What do you have?" Jo asked.

"Evan is throwing a big party on his ship in three days." said a girl.

"But it's going to be so big that he needs three days to prepare for it." A boy said.

"Three days to prepare for a party." Lara said.

"And it's going to be on his ship." Jo said.

"I need to get out to that ship before the party." I said.

"Hold you horses. You can't just go out there. You'll be kill before you even get on the boat." Lara said.

"Lara if I don't go now, in three days' time Evan is going to blow up his ship, and everyone on it." I said.

Then all a sudden another child came running in. "Eric what did you learn?" Jo asked.

Eric had shaggy blond hair, blue eyes, and had a lean frame. "I just came from the dock. I saw some men loading cases onto a boat. It was supposedly going to Evan Roth's ship out in the harbor." Eric said.

Jo, Lara and I all shared a look. "Where was Evan when you last saw him?" I asked the first group of children.

"I saw him boarding one of the boats that was going to be heading out to his ship. There are going to be three shipments heading out to the harbor tonight. And another going out tomorrow." Eric answered.

I motion for Lara to toss me my sword and I'm out the door, after I catch it, with Eric on my trail. "Take me to the docks where you saw them loading the boats." I said.

It takes us a couple of hours to get to the dock. We could have taken a carriage, but the lamps would have been spotted by the dock workers from a mile away. When we get close to the dock, I motion for Eric to take a hike. I wait until Eric is out of sight, and then I begin to make my way on to the next boat.

I make my way towards the fence, and look for a break. I didn't see one, so I look for a dock worker, or a guard, and then I scale the fence. I land softly, and quietly but I scan for anything, or anyone that could have possibly seen or heard my get over the fence. When I was satisfied that no one heard me, I crouch walk over to the boat. I watch for an opening, which never happened. So I had to rely on training, and not the stuff that Hetty taught me. I make my way away from the boat, and then dove into the water. I swam towards the boat underwater. I stop swimming and looked up to see a guard go to investigate the disturbance, but I continued swimming towards the boat.

I break the surface to take breath as I tread water waiting for the boat to head out to the ship in the harbor. It was ten minutes before the boat head out to the ship. I had pulled out a climbing spike to find purchase on the side of the boat, and was dragged along out to the ship. When the boat was within ten meters of the ship, I dislodges by spikes and swam around to the far side of the boat. As I was approaching the ship on the port side, I could hear my target discuss preparations for the supplies being loaded. As I scaled the side of the ship, I heard a scuffle and then a scream of death. After the scream I heard people being brought to the bow of the ship, and forced to their knees.

"Is this how you repay me?" Evan said.

As I approaching the top of the ship, I peer over the edge and saw that I was directly behind Evan, but his henchmen didn't have a view of me. I feel the boat rocking gently, and I climb over the edge on a downward motion as not to give away my presence. I draw my sword and walk towards Evan. I was spotted by one of his guards as Evan was executing one of the traitors.

"Behind you!" a guard shouted.

"How are you still alive?" Evan said, the shock written across his features when he recognized me.

I didn't answer, I swung my sword and took his head. I had just enough time to clean my sword, and sheath it before the Quickening began. The power transfer was so powerful that I was thrown from the ship like a rag doll. My body didn't come to shore for two days. It took me a few seconds to regain consciousness, and when I do I see boots in front of me. The boots are too small, and pointed in the toes to be a man's boat. I looked up to see Jo standing over me.

"Are you alright?" she asked

"That depends on your definition of alright." I said.

"Two days ago the government publically announced the death of Even Roth. They didn't have any leads, or sketches of the murderer, so you should be good for the time being." she said.

"Good." I said.

I stood up, and followed Jo to her carriage. I sat on a towel so I don't dirty the upholstery. We went to her house on Baker Street. I paid the fare when we stopped in front of Jo's house.

"The prodigal son returns." Lara said when Jo and I entered the house.

I've spent enough time in church, or listening to people quoting the bible, to understand that reference. "I see the festivities are ready to begin." I said.

I stayed in London for a day, and then Lara and I caught a boat, and crossed over to France. It was a seven day journey, and a lot of time to kill. I approached Lara about day five and asked for an update. "So how is this one going to play out?" I asked.

"This one shouldn't be as complicated, although you will have to fight the man." she said.

"That's fine by me. I don't like sneaking around." I said.

"You will have to sneak around if you head out to Asia." she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"A lot of those targets out there are surrounded by a wall of guards, on top of living in house that is the equivalent of a small fortress." she said.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there." I said.

I head below deck, and try to get some rest. I realized that this is the farthest from home I have ever been, and it's been almost two weeks since I left for London. It was another two days until we reach France. From there it was a three day journey to Paris. When I set eyes on Paris I'm taken back by the beauty of the city, letting out whistle at the sight of it.

"You think this something now, wait until humanity has built greater tools for construction. They'll do much more marvelous things." Lara said.

"True story." I said.

We boarded our horses at the nearest stable. From there we walked two blocks to a gorgeous house that belonged to someone in Lara family.

"This is your house?" I asked as we entered.

"Hetty's." she said.

"That somehow, doesn't surprise me." I said, taking in the opulence of the place. "Definitely Hetty's place."

We get settled in and wait for a few days before we hear anything. It was the third day after our arrival in Paris before we heard anything. In walks a white male, about five feet six inches tall, lean build, a buzz haircut, and a groomed beard cut close to the skin.

"Grisha, what's the word?" Lara asked.

"The man in question is hiding out in an abandon building on the south end of town, but he stays there on Wednesday's and Thursday's." Grisha said in a Russian accent.

"Wednesday's and Thursday's. Where does he stay the other five days of the week?" Lara asks.

"The rest of the week his is out of the city. We were never able to determine his destination after he leaves the city." Grisha said.

"What time does he arrive at the abandon building?" I asked.

"Midnight." Grisha said.

"I have two days until he returns?" I asked.

"Yes." Grisha said.

"I'm going to go check out that warehouse." I said, and then exited the house.

Grisha takes me to the warehouse in question, and then heads off to attend to other business while I'm getting a lay of the land. It's straight forward. The walls are about thirty feet high, with a single window on the south side of the building. I enter the building and take a look around. I didn't make it twenty feet from the door when I heard. "What are you doing here?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. I slowly turned around, and saw my target. He was a black male, about six feet two inches tall, two hundred and twenty-five pounds, no facial hair, and a bald head. There was a moment of silence before either one of us spoke. "Hetty sent you?" the man asked.

I nodded my head, and watch as the man takes a deep breath as he stares towards the lone window on the south wall. After a time, the man drops his over coat and draws his sword. I shrug my coat off, and draw my sword, too.

"If you take my head, go over to my house Boulevard des Italiens. Go to my study on the ground floor, and pull the right candle mount on wall down. In there is information Hetty will want." the man said.

I shake my head. The man did what Hetty wanted, but lost his way in the process "Thanks for the info." I said.


	5. Chapter 5

The fight with my opponent was neck and neck, but I found a weakness in his form, and claimed his head. After the Quickening had subsided, I cleaned my blade and sheathed it. I checked the man's pockets for some house keys, and I was reward with a set after checking an inner jacket pocket. As I'm head back to Hetty's place to ask Grisha if he knew the address of the man I just killed, I noticed that the sun had set while I was dueling that man. When I get back to Hetty's place neither Grisha, nor Lara are around, so I head upstairs to get a shower. After I finished taking a shower and getting dress, both Lara and Grisha had returned.

"What took you so long to get back?" Lara asked.

"My target showed up a few days early." I said.

"Oh. Sorry about that." Grisha said.

"It's not a problem. Do you know where the man lived?" I asked.

"I can take you to his place, but the sun will begin to rise in a few minutes." Grisha said.

"Fine." I said,

I go back upstairs to get some shut eye. The sun was a few minutes from setting when Lara woke me. I get up, go brush my teeth, and then I follow Grisha out the door. It takes twenty minutes to get to the street where the man lived, and then five minutes to get to his house. When we get to the house, I scan the area to make sure there weren't any outliers. I approach the door, and open it quickly. I shut the door after Grisha had entered. I make my way to the study on the ground floor. I grab the candle holder on the right side of the wall, and watched in shock amazement as the wall slides up into the floor above us. I check the desk, and find a mess load of information. I have no idea what I'm looking for, but I see a lot of unfamiliar names places, and possibly cities in other parts of the world. I hear a noise coming from the front door, followed by.

" _It's the police! Open up!_ " a man said.

"Not what I need." I said.

"I can buy you some time." Grisha said.

"You're crazy." I said.

"Hurry!" Grisha hissed.

I look for a bag, and then I starting loading the information into folders, then into the bag. I hear more pounding coming from the front door. I finished loading the bag, and then exited the room. I grabbed the handle, and lowered the wall back into place. I make my way to the back door, and was about to sneak out it when I saw another shadow coming up the walk. I decide to knockout the person coming up the back walk as soon as they entered. The door was opening, when I realized that it was Lara. I forced my way out the door as I forcefully covered her mouth. I put a finger up to my lips to signal for her to be quiet.

Which was short lived because we heard a loud scream coming from inside the house. I grabbed Lara's hand, and we took off running. We were half way back to Hetty's by the time we slowdown. We kept a brisk pace, but we didn't stop. We stayed for a few hours, to get some rest and pack some gear. At first light we snuck out the back, and made our way to the port. Lara haggled a trip to Scotland at a cheap price. The crew was already aboard, and we got our luggage on board. By the ship had left port, the police were storming the dock. I was watching the police chief throwing a temper tantrum, and taking it out on his subordinate. All I could do was laugh, and head below deck. It took the better part of a month to get dock at the city in Scotland.

As the boat was pulling up to the dock in Glasgow, I see Ray and Hetty waiting for us. "She really has no life." I say to Lara.

"You have no idea." Lara said.

"Where are you heading next?" I asked.

"Back to the fortress, awaiting further orders. I head wherever Hetty needs me to go." she said.

"That must be fun." I said. The ship had finished docking.

"You had to wait for me to get the information so you could complete the last two jobs." she said.

We continued our conversation as we were walking down the gangway. "If you get the chance, try to determine to whereabouts of Grisha when you leave." I said.

"I will." Lara said.

"That won't be necessary, Miss Renard. I had an asset move in and pull Mr. Nikolaev out." Hetty said.

Both Lara and I shared a look, but we said nothing. "What's up?" I said to Ray.

"Not much. You got the information?" Ray asked.

I had to dig it out of my bags, but I found the folders and handed it over to Ray. Ray departed, while Hetty Lara and I headed to the stable. "Miss Renard I have a job for you out in Eastern Europe within the week, so rest up and be ready to move." Hetty said.

"Yes, ma'am." Lara said.

The three of us got on our horse, and rode back to the fortress. "Hetty, why did our ship dock in Glasgow, and not at the fortress?" I asked.

"That group is a shady bunch. They'll take any kind of work, but I won't let them into my home." Hetty said.

"Fair enough." I said.

It took us the until night fall to get to the fortress. The three of us boarded our horses, and then Lara went to get a bunk. I helped Hetty off her horse, and then I went to drop my gear off in the armory. I went to get a shower. After the shower I found Ray, Lara and couple of other of my peers in the chow hall. I got in line without much of a hassle. I sat down at the table, and joined the conversation. The conversation was nothing more than war stories, and brushes with death. Most of Ray's stories always had a comedic spin on them; whereas, Lara had a more serious tone. The crowd looked at me, expecting me to share a story. "Keeping waiting because I'm not sharing tonight," I said.

The crowd shrugged me off, and went back to their meal and their own stories. While I listened to the crowd tell their stories, my attention was on Hetty and her group. Her table had eight chairs, and all of they were filled with men and women who were in their twilight years before they expired in a previous life. I'm pretty Hetty doesn't how immortals are created, or she would a larger army than she does now, but just like, I know her type too. _She is definitely hiding something._ I think.

I finish eating, and then get up to dispose of my dishes and silverware. I exit the hall and then head to the training room. I grab a training sword, and then approach a training dummy. I work on some new techniques that I learned from both men that I killed this two past month. They seemed foreign, as if they studied from the same master. The way the sword is supposed to be held isn't from this half of the world. I think that the person who taught this technique is further east. _Maybe from the Asia area._ I think. I try working the technique, and I having a few problems. The way that I was supposed to hold the sword makes no sense, but after I realize that it's not the sword but the flexibility of my wrist I was able to understand how the techniques worked.

"Someday, when you have no duties holding you to this place, you should go to Shu Yin province in China. Look for the woman by the name Yin Bai. She will be able to finish teaching you that style." Hetty said.

I stare at Hetty for a moment. The way she said when I have no duties holding me to this place strikes a chord, but I have no way to determine the meaning of her sentence. _Hetty is going to be a cryptic woman._ I think.

"Yes, Hetty." I said, and then left the training room to get some sleep. Come morning I was able to manipulate my body to work those techniques I was trying to execute last night. I had a few of my fellow peers asking me to execute the moves again, while a some of the others on the training floor weren't happy that I was practicing the techniques. After one particular taxing execution of the techniques, I was approached by Ray, and waved for me to follow him. I put the sword away, and followed Ray out of the training room.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Those techniques you were practicing are from a style considered to forbidden by some of the people in this hallowed place." Ray said as we exited the fortress.

"Let me guess, Hetty is for people learning all types of fighting styles; whereas, others took a hardline, and tried to keep this place pure?" I asked.

"Yin Bai is a very knowledgeable instructor. She used to be from here, but she was cast out and Hetty replaced her." he said.

"And Hetty had nothing to do with her being deposed?" I asked.

"From what I heard no, but then again it depends on who you talk to. Some say that she led the revolt personally. Other say that she masterminded the revolt, while remaining in the shadows. Others say that she took the position because the replacement was a joke. Ultimately, the man challenged Hetty and she took the position. But that's all hearsay." he said.

"Well Hetty did say that when I was no long had any obligations to this place that I was to seek out Yin Bai." I said.

"Be careful mentioning that name. It is a hallow name that is both revered and despised in equal measures." Ray said, and then entered the fortress. I looked off onto the horizon wondering what I'm going to do. I go to bed, and when I wake the next day Hetty sent me off with Lara deep into Eastern Europe. It took us a week to get to the city that Hetty said. It took me another week to complete the assigned task, but Hetty had other plans.

"Hetty said that you are to remain in this city." Lara said.

"What? Why?" I asked.

Before Lara could answer a bird had come flying into the open window, and landed on the pedestal next to the window. "Hetty sent a message." I said.

Lara had removed the message from the bird's leg, and it flew out the window. Lara had unraveled the message, and her eyes almost bugged out of their sockets. "The fortress had come under attack two days after we left." she said.

"What? Let me see that." I said.

Lara handed me the message, and took a good look. And as Lara said the first part of the message said that fortress had come under attack after we left. Hetty also wrote that I should head east to Shu Yin Province.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Hetty wants me to head east. The question here is what are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'm going back to Paris to look for Grisha." she said.

"Stay the night." I said looking out the window on a setting sun.

"Hetty had one last job for you." Lara said handing me a piece of paper.

"Thanks." I said.

If I had known how long the next job Hetty had for me I might have torn the paper up on the spot, but that was my mistake. Over the next thousand years I would follow a trail of corrupt immortals from the city I was in, all the way back to the island named Ireland. From there I went to city in the country of Spain. From there I went back to Paris, France. From there on to the country of Germany. When I entered Asia it was starting to get harder and harder to kill the men, and women, I need to complete the jobs. I had entered a city, and made my way to a stable to give my horse a rest. We had be traveling through the night. I pay for boarding my horse, and then go find a room. I barely step into the inn, when someone is looking to start something.

"Look what the cat dragged in." A young man said with a think Asian accent.

I turn to look at myself in the mirror, and I see a few of my more recent scars have all but heal, and a few that won't. I also noticed that I had a full beard going. "I'd leave the refuse alone if I was you." I said no one in particular. "I'd like to rent a room." I said to the clerk.

The clerk didn't say thing. All she did was nod towards the door. I turn to see a young boy standing in the door who waved for me to follow. I get the feeling that it's safer to go with the boy, than it is to stay here. I followed my gut, and exited the inn. As I'm stepping back out into I noticed that a group had gathered across the street outside the bar. The boy led me away from the stable, but in my peripheral vision I see the group had started to make its way towards me. _I'm so not in the mood for this._ I think.

Next thing I see is the kid turn on me and toss something. My reflexes have improved, and I see a tiny little ball fly past. Then I realized that ball was not meant for me, but the group that was following us. The kids aim was perfect because it landed in the middle of the group. I also realized that the kid had bolted as the ball had land in the group. Just as I start to run there was decent explosion that caused me to stumble before I caught me balance. As I turned the corner that the kid had turned, I stopped ever so quickly to see the aftermath of that ball, and continued running. What I saw left shocked me. Most of the people in the ground had been wounded, some of the wounds were mortal, while some of them had died outright. I started to gain on the kid when I noticed that he was slowing down.

I saw a couple of horses, one of the horse had a rider. "Quickly!" the rider shouted.

I lifted the kid up on to the back of the horse that already had a rider, and then mounted the other horse. We spurred our horse to ride off, and we were getting away before any of my assailants could catch up to us. _Crap!_ I thought as I realized that I left my horse at the stable.

"We grabbed your horse before we got you out." the man said.

"Thanks." I said, relieved.

The three of us ride until lunch, and then we took a break. We eat in silence, and then get back on our horse. We ride until sundown. By the time the sun had dipped beneath the horizon, we were approaching a settlement. It was a nice place that was out in the middle of nowhere. Something I missed in the last town, but I didn't miss here is that the people had a yellowish hue to their skin and their eyes were more closed off. We pulled up to a stable, and boarded out horses. As we were dismounting, I asked the man. "Is this China?"

"Yes. This is the Shu Yin Province. Rest tonight, and I will take you to Yin Bai." the man said.

"No problem." I said.


	6. Chapter 6

I take my boots off at the door, as instructed, and then was led to my room. I don't even bother taking a shower. I fall, face first, onto the bed. I'm out the moment my head hits the pillow. In my dreams I'm visited by my wife, and another woman who looks exactly like my wife, but wearing very different set of clothes. The clothing is very rugged, and foreign. _She's still hot._ I think.

Come morning I hear something I have never hear before. I'm startled awake by the strangest sound. It took me a few moments to register what it was, but when I heard the sound again I knew I wasn't going back to sleep again.

"That's a rooster crowing." I whispered.

I knew some people started their day when the rooster crows, I just never expected myself to be lumped into that group. To be honest, I was with Yin Bai for almost two years, and that entire time I woke when the rooster crowed. Every day for the past two years I started the day with morning chore, followed by morning exercise. After lunch I would train more thoroughly on the techniques that Yin Bai had been teaching me. I noticed that over time I began to become more comfortable wearing the clothes the natives were wearing. It was simple, almost like a robe, but it was extremely comfortable.

It was going on my third year of training under Yin Bai I begin to work closely with another pupil who was rising through the rank. Yin and this other student spent the morning hours on together, and then Yin would spend the rest of the day with me. This routine went on for six months, and then one day Yin Bai gather the class one for a meeting. It was basically to announce that she was stepping down as head instructor, and leaving the other student in charge. There were disagreements, a brawl almost broke out. But Yin Bai stood by her decision. Then the next day, before the rooster's crow, Yin Bai came to me.

"Deeks." Yin Bai said.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"Get dressed, I have a few things to tell you." she said, and then stepped out of the room.

I get dressed and brush my teeth. I step out of my room to see Yin Bai at the far end of the hall. I made my way down to her. "Follow me." was all she said.

We left the school, putting our shoes on, heading into the woods. In the distance I can see a mountain, and by the general direction we are heading that is our destination. By the time we make it to the mountain, the sun was high in the sky. We stop to get a bite to eat before climbing the mountain. We climbed to the mountains peak before stopping, and it was at this moment I realized that there was only on weapon, and Yin Bai had it.

"What do you know of the revolt that ended in my exile?" Yin Bai asked.

"Not much. That, supposedly, it was Hetty who lead the revolt. Whether directly or indirectly." I said.

"That's not entirely true." she said.

"Okay." I said.

"I lead the revolt, and Hetty was the one to end it, personally." she said.

"But instead of killing you, Hetty spared your life and forced you to set up shop out here." I said.

"I got a bird from Hetty two weeks before you arrived, and it read that you would be making your way to my door step." she said.

I thought on the purpose of the mount top meeting, and the only purpose was that I was supposed to take her head. "Anything else?" I ask.

"I was supposed to train you until you were competent enough." she said.

"And then when I was ready, I was supposed to take your head. As punishment for leading the revolt." I said.

Yin Bai didn't even speak. All she did was nod her head. I look around at the view, and think back to all the views I experience in Europe and the two islands that have become to known as the British Isles. It also dawned on me that I have no idea where I'm supposed to go after this, but I also realized that Hetty was right. I have no love for killing people, whether they are armed or giving up their life willing. _I would never kill an unarmed person._ I think.

"After I finish here, where am I to go?" I asked.

"Head east to the port town of Yin Shang. Board a boat called the Yu Shao, and sail east to the southern Island of Japan. After disembarking from the boat you will be greeted by a boy who will ask for a password. Give him my name and he will take you to Zuna Kai." Yin Bai said.

After Yin Bai finished speaking, she laid a sword on the ground, and then knelt down. I walked over to the sword and picked it up. As I was pulling the sword from the sheath, I watched as Yin had pulled her hair back giving me a clear view of my target. I lightly touch the sharp edge of my sword to Yin Bai's neck, and then I lift the sword over my head. I swing the sword down, separating Yin's head from her body, and then the quickening was upon me.

I.T.D.

Yu Shao-

I wake with a start. It took me a few moments to realize that I had already kill Yin Bai, that I had made my way to Yin Shang and I had already boarded the Yu Shao. I also remembered that the boat had already been sailing for a week. I get out of bed, and made my way to the bathroom. I hear the other passengers talking about the weather, their plans when they land in Japan, and other interesting tidbits. I wash up, and then head top side. As I was making my way onto the main deck one of the crew was coming to find me.

"The captain said that we should be landing at Japan within the next seven to ten days." she said.

"Thanks." I said.

"Excuse me." A man said, approaching me after the crew member left.

"What?" I asked.

"You speak English with a Scottish accent, but you speak Mandarin, Chinese." the man said.

I hesitate before giving an answer. "I spent time in China because my father worked for a trade company. Now I travel the world, my aim is to learn as many sword fighting styles there are." I said.

"That's an honorable goal, and a daunting task. What are your plans after you have learn all of the styles?" he asked.

"Not sure. I'll cross that bridge when I get there." I said

"If you haven't figure it out yet by that time, head to this address, and we'll help you find your way." The man said hand me a small sheet of paper with an address on it.

"Is this in London?" I asked.

"Yes is it." the man said with a smile, and then walked away.

Even though I haven't been to London in over a thousand years, I know that address from anywhere. That's the same address Hetty sent me to the first time I want to London. For some strange reason I get the feeling that going to London is a setup, that somehow, that man was looking for me for some very specific reason. I keep the paper with me so I can show it Zuna Kai when I get them. This man could have some useful information, but something about his casualness set me off. I keep an eye on the man for the rest of the trip.

By the end of the week, the ship had landed at Japan, and I was making my way through the port when I was stopped by a bunch of children that were running aimlessly through the port.

"Watch where you going mister." one of the children said.

"Whatever." I mumbled under my breath. I wandered some more around the port looking for a place to exchange the money I had left over from my time in China. I got the money exchanged, and then made my way out of the port. I carried the pouch in my hand to avoid being robbed by any of these kids. Just as I was making my way off the dock I caught sight of a kid making his towards me. I stepped out of his way, but the kid stopped in front of me. "Are you lost mister?" he asked.

"Maybe, but I was sent this way by Yin Bai." I said.

"Follow me." the boy said.

We walked off the dock, and then slowly made our way through the crowd. The boy led me into a shop two miles from the dock.

"What did you bring me today, Kai? Another stray?" the man asked.

"If I had to guess you either are Zuna Kai, or you know who Zuna Kai is." I said. "And I don't appreciate being called a stray."

"Deeks! Martin Deeks!" The man behind the counter said.

"That's me." I said.

"I wasn't expecting you for another year." Zuna Kai said. "And yes, I am Zuna Kai."

"Well let's get started. I need to move on to my next target before long." I said.

"Actually, Hetty wants you to stay here for the time being." he said.

"Get any British folks skulking around here?" I asked.

"You." the boy said, and then left the room.

"I'm Scottish! Same island, but I'm on the opposite side!" I shout after the boy.

"Why?" he asked.

"I was stopped by a British gentleman and he said I should join his cause after I finished here. He gave me the address for Hetty's house in London, England." I said handing the small sheet of paper to him.

"Hetty did mention that a lot of the safe houses have fallen, but this code is not from the group that attacked the fortress. This code is far older, more ancient than what they used." he said looking at the paper. "Let me look over this. In the meantime, why don't you help out around the shop? When we get home tonight I will teach you my art."

"You got it." I said, and then went to find the boy and see what he needs help with.

We were at the shop until sundown, and then loaded up into a carriage and went to a farm two miles outside of town. I studied under Zuna Kai for three years, and then I was sent on my way.

I.T.D.

Three years later-

"You have learned everything there is for me to teach you." Zuna Kai said.

"What do I do now?" I asked.

"Hetty left me a message saying that you are to head back to China and take out Lu Xun. It won't be an easy target because he is surrounded by a wall guards. Which is surrounded by a fortress." he said.

"I'll figure it out. Do I take your head, or are you sending on my merry way?" I asked.

"You aren't taking my head!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. It's just the last person I trained under, I was their executioner. I didn't realize you were clean." I said apologizing.

"Not only that, I'm human. Here is the necessary information." Zuna Kai said.

The two of us walk out of the shop, and then I headed for the port. Zuna Kai watch until I became a blur, and then headed back into his shop. I happen to catch a ride back to China on the Yu Shao again, and to my great pleasure I was the only foreigner on the ship. While I was waiting to land on China again, I decided to help the ship's crew to pass the time. We made it back to China in record time because the wind was in our sails the entire time, and we didn't run into any storms.

As the ship lands in Yin Shang, and I make to a stable and buy a horse and saddle. "Where are you headed to stranger?" the owner of the stable asked.

I don't even hesitate. I spent so much time studying the information that Zuna Kai gave that I know it by heart. "I'm heading to Cheng Du." I said.

"That city is north of here at the base of the Mount Emei." the owner said.

"That's the closest range to us?" I asked.

He nodded. "Thanks," I said, and then rode away.

I rode until nightfall, which was only two miles out of town. Just as the sun was beginning to rise, I was up, ate breakfast, brush my teeth, and then on the road again. It took me two weeks to get to Cheng Du. I made my way to a stable, and boarded my horse.

"Sir." I said, change dialects from Mandarin to Pinghua.

"Yes." he said.

"Do you know where I can find a Sun Jiao?" I asked.

"He works out of the hospital two blocks away from here." the man said.

"Thanks." I said.

I made my way over to the hospital, dodging beggars, bums, and kids playing in the street. Before I walked into the hospital, I stopped and looked at the fortress in distance. It was massive. The walls had to be about thirty feet high, and there weren't any grooves to hold onto. I look at top of the wall and I saw at least three sentries keeping watch at the west gate, and at least two more on the south wall.

 _There could be at least twelve guards keeping watch over the walls._ I thought.

"Twenty." came a voice from behind me.

"What?" I asked.

"You were trying to figure out how many guards were on the wall, and I said that there were twenty guards at all times patrolling the walls." the man said.

"Thanks, and you're Sun Jiao?" I asked.

"Yes, and you must be Deeks. Hetty has already informed me of your task. Your job is a lot easier than first explained." he said.

"Oh." I said.

"The guy you're after is not the master of the fortress. The man you want is the captain of the guard and is usually out wandering the square three, four times a day." he said.

"Nice." I said.

"As a matter of fact here he comes now." Sun Jiao said.

I looked up to see my target, but I didn't move. Both Sun Jiao and I stand by as the captain of guard, Lu Xun, was making his rounds. When Lu Xun walked by the two of us he stopped and struck up a conversation.

"Who's your friend, Jiao? He doesn't look to be from the area, let alone from the country." Xun asked, not aware of the fact that I understood the conversation perfectly, but Jiao answered before I could. "He's traveling physician who is going to be assisting on a risky surgery within the next few days."

"Not very many people are willing try those types of surgeries. Give him my thanks." Lu Xun said and then walked away.

"I wonder how thankful he will be when I take his head." I ask, as I look around to make sure there weren't any spies.

"There aren't any spies, and nobody is willing to protect that man." Sun Jiao said.

"Great. Just make sure we are in a secluded place when I take his head." I said.

"You got." Sun Jiao said, and then left.

I realize that Jiao had placed a piece of paper in my hand when I was distracted by our conversation with Lu Xun. _Or he could have done it when I was scoping out the guards on the fortress wall._ I think.

I open the sheet of paper, and then take off running. Sun Jiao's note said that I need to head to the forest behind the stable, and be there in twenty minutes. I get there in ten to see a bunch of children waiting around. One of the children waved me over, while another pointed to some brush. As I was stepping into the brush, the child who pointed into the bush grabbed my arm.

"The rumors floating around is that Lu Xun will be killed, and even the lord gives his blessing, sort of. You have one hour to kill Xun, and flee. After that hour you will be executed for murdering a public official." She said.

"You got." I said.

I rested in the brush until nightfall, and then beyond. _Jiao didn't tell me that Xun wasn't going to be coming to the position until after nightfall._ I thought, and I ate my thoughts when I saw a caravan of people on the edge of town. It wasn't a small caravan either. I was beginning to worry that I was in the wrong place when I saw Lu Xun, Sun Jiao, and a contingent of guards come walking towards me. Sun Jiao and the rest of the guards continued walking past me; whereas, Lu Xun stopped in front of the brush. I leapt out of the bushes, wrapping my arms around Xun's neck. He tried to struggle, but I snapped his neck. Lu Xun went limp, and I struggled to get his body into the woods. When I was satisfied that when the Quickening began that nobody would come running, I stopped dragging the body. So I started to unsheathe my sword, but I remembered Jiao's note. Leave your sword behind, and take Xun's sword.

I drove my sword into the ground, blade first, and then sword remained upright. I pulled Lu Xun's sword out, and to my great surprise, the blade fit in my scabbard. I took Lu Xun's head, and rode out the Quickening. I was recovering from the Quickening when I heard the dogs, and the guards coming into the forest.

I wiped the blood off the sword, sheathed the blade, and then fled.


	7. Getting Lost in the Orient

I find myself running flat out for about twenty-five minutes, maybe even thirty. I can hear the dogs barking, and their master's shouting orders. Somehow this whole ordeal seems surreal. A thousand years ago I would have never imagined myself in the middle of China, running for my life. Let alone would I have imagined myself being able to speak both Mandarin, Pinghua. But this is the life that has been given me since I woke up after my death. I realized that this is the longest run that I have ever engaged in.

I can still hear the guards behind me, but in front of me was a cliff fast approaching. I didn't have time to register my options. I picked up speed and jump off the cliff. I must have been half way to the water when I heard the dog's baying begin to taper off, and become the occasional how. But when I hit the water, I was dragged away instantly, and by the time I wake I was near the southern tip of China.

I.T.B.

Three thousand one hundred sixty-two years later, Yin Shang –

The year is eleven hundred eighty-five. The last job I did was in the middle of Russia, and now every immortal on the continent of Asia is after my head. The information that I was given was falsified, and I killed the wrong man. Amazingly enough I did get my target. I had a head start, not by much, and I was able to make it to Yin Shang, and boarded a ship headed to Japan. I heard that Japan had entered an age of feudalism, or a medieval age like Europe had left behind, and I thought that was the place for me to go. I know that I would stand out, but my time with Zuna Kai years ago will help the people grow accustom to me. I had been on the ship headed to Japan for three weeks now, which is a little strange given that the last time we made it in two. _I guess the ship I sail on last time must have been retired_. I think unable to remember the ships name.

By the time we had been sailing for eight weeks, the ship had landed in a town on the southern tip of Japan. I get off the ship and make my way off the dock. I find my contact in the port, who puts me up until night fall. Once night has fallen, the shopkeeper, my contact, and I jump into a cart and head into the highlands. At daybreak we come to a little village with twenty house, and a big, long house towards the back. I'm in awe of the tiny village, it almost reminds me of my tiny village back in Scotland. I'm beginning to wonder if that village is still around.

The three of us step down off the cart, and then make our way towards the big house. As we are making our way there, I notice that all the men were gearing up in a new type of armor that I never knew existed until now.

"Those are men are samurai, and they fight for Lord Asano." my contact said.

"Alright." I said.

As we were approaching the big house, a man, a woman, and their bodyguards exited the house. The man approached us, while his wife, or lover, remained behind with the bodyguards. As the lord approached, the three of us stopped short. He started talking, and amazingly enough I understood him.

"Azuma. Baku." the lord said.

"Lord Asano." Both Azuma and Baku said.

"Who's your friend?" Asano asked, speaking to me.

"My name is Martin Deeks, Lord Asano. I'm honored to make your acquaintance." I said.

"Deeks! Martin Deeks, the pleasure is mine! I never knew Henrietta Lange's pupil would make his way here." Asano said.

"Have you heard from Hetty recently? I haven't seen her for quite a while." I said.

"Unfortunately, I have not. I received a message from her saying that you were coming. I'm not even sure if she is alive or not." Asano said.

"If Hetty sent you that message, she's still alive." I said.

"Azuma, show Deeks to his quarters. Lunch will be served at twelve o'clock sharp." Asano said.

Baku went and gave a report, while Azuma and I went to get myself situated. By twelve o'clock, I had gotten a clean shave, a shower, and a fresh set of clothes. Azuma and I made our way to the main hall for lunch. I sat next to Azuma when I ate, but I did so in silence. I want to get as much information as possible, but I was being distracted by the occasion giggles of a young boy and girl who were surprised by my appearance.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

The pair weren't expecting me two speak to them directly, so they left in a hurry without a backwards glance. I raise my eyebrows, shrugged my shoulders, and return lunch. It seemed that my position here in village has already been decided.

"It seems that my children have taken a liking to you, Deeks." Lord Asano's wife said.

"I was a father once." I said.

"You taking care of the children will free up some of my other men to expand our perimeter." Asano said.

"I've handled my fair share of wild children, so they shouldn't be a problem." I said.

"Azuma, send the guard that is being freed up out to the western perimeter. Baku I want you on with the roaming guards within the hour." Asano said.

"Yes, My lord." Azuma, Baku, and I said in unison.

After lunch we split up to head to our duty stations. The children got comfortable with me, really quickly, and were all over the place. I found myself chasing the children for a couple of hours. By the time they had worn themselves out it was time for dinner. I assist Lord Asano's wife and get the children fed, and put them to bed. When we joined Lord Asano and his men were sitting down to eat. I was given the position next to Akira, Lord Asano's wife, and I felt a lot of strain. I ate in silence, and listened to the reports that were being given. After the reports had finished, we continued eating in silence. By the time dinner had finished, Lord Asano had doled out orders. I was to take third watch, so I get ready for bed. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and crawled into bed. The third watch was upon me before I knew what happened, albeit, I almost jumped out of my skin. I thought one of my pursuers had found me here in Japan, but it was Baku. I geared up, and stepped out to stand guard. By the time the sun was beginning to rise I sensed that I had a visitor.

"Yes, Akira." I said, realizing my visitor was none other than Lord Asano's wife.

"When was the last time you spoke with Hetty?" she asked.

I turned to face Akira. "Four thousand one hundred sixty eight years ago." I said. There was a moment of silence before I spoke again. "You don't seemed the least bit surprised."

"My husband and I have been apprised of Hetty and her companions, but we have had a few problems. There is a man who lives in cave close to a nearby town that has been causing problems. He has been stab at least twenty times, but he keeps killing and terrorizing the town." she said.

"Give me the targets, and I will remove them." I said. "The name of the town."

"The town is Little Tokyo." she said.

"And the person I can talk to that can give the low down." I said.

"Go to the pawn shop, and ask for Hana." she said.

"How far is the town from here?" I asked.

"Two miles north of here." Akira said.

I checked to make sure my sword was secured tightly. "Tell your husband that I will return as soon as I'm finished." I said, and then walk away.

I walked nonstop until I got to the town. I looked up at the sun and saw, judging by its position in the sky, it was about eleven in the morning. Before I got started, I asked one of the locals for directions to the pawn shop. Which just so happened to be the store I was standing next to when I entered the town. I entered the shop, which was empty except for the proprietor.

"You Hana?" I asked approaching the counter.

"Who's asking?"

"I was sent by Akira Asano." I said.

The woman almost dropped her pencil. She looked up at me, and gave me a once over.

"I will take you to the cave that the trouble maker is working out of." Hana said.

"Lead the way." I said.

Just as we were exiting the woman turned to me and said. "Yes, I am Hana."

We walked three miles out of town. We came upon a cave, but Hana pulled us up short. "The man you're looking is hiding in the cave. He won't exit until sun set though."

"I'm not waiting until then." I said, and started walking towards the cave.

Without hesitation, I walk right into the cave. There was quite a bit of ambient light that I could make out some of the features. I wasn't even thirty feet from the entrance when my target started talking. "So, you're the next man to think that you could take me?"

I stop dead in my tracks. I know that voice. It's a little deeper than the last time, but I can place that accent anywhere. It's Russian, and I feel the dread wash over me. Dead ahead I see the man, and it as I feared. "Show yourself!" Grisha shouted.

I draw my sword, and Grisha followed suit. But instead of waiting for me to show myself, Grisha attacked. I blocked the attack, and Grisha almost jumped out of his skin when he realized that it was me that had come to claim his head.

"Deeks!" he gasped.

"Don't bother explaining yourself. You know that if I'm here, you messed up. And messed up big." I said. I kicked Grisha out of the sword lock, which sent him rolling. I've never dueled Grisha, so I kept my sword that the ready. On top of this being his lair, I take my time following him through the cave. I'm guessing Grisha could possibly sneak up on me, but I'm only seeing one passage way in this cave. I make two more turns, and then Grisha decides to attack me. All of Grisha's attacks are erratic, short, and sadly, predictable. Grisha had misjudged a swing, and I took his head. The Quickening came, and went.

"Anymore?" I asked Hana as I exited the cave.

"Follow me." she said.

We spend the whole day going all over the countryside, taking out immortals. By dinner time I was back at Lord Asano's land. As I was taking my shoes off, Akira asked for a report. "How did your day go?" she asked.

"Long, painful, and weary." I said.

"Did you know any of the victims?" she asked.

"One, but I didn't let them try to explain his actions." I said.

"I will inform you when I have more targets." Akira said.

"Much appreciated." I said, and then went to get a shower.

Over the next twenty years, as everyone else grew older, I remained ageless. By the time the kids were in their thirties; the boy took over his father's title and land, while the girl was given away in marriage. I didn't see it coming, but Hana had used me to take out almost all of the immortals in Japan, leaving me to be the only one. The other lords weren't happy with this, and conspired against the family.

One day I was coming back to the land with Baku and Azuma when we saw the main house engulfed in flames. Whatever we were carrying had been forgotten about, as we drop the contents and rushed into the settlement. We didn't make it five feet past the first house when we were set upon by samurai in green armor.

"It's Watanabe's men." Azuma said.

The three of us drew our weapons, and defended our home. All of my kills were by decapitation, to prevent any of these men from becoming immortals. Baku and Azuma saw me cutting off all the heads, and followed suit. We fought our way to Watanabe and his entourage, which was ten men, including Watanabe himself. I see Lord Asano, his wife, and his two children on their knees between me and Watanabe.

"Deeks! Avenge us!" was all Asano said.

Both Asano and I knew that this night would end in blood shed. Before either Baku, I, or Azuma could move we were hit with an arrow through the throat. I watch as Baku and Azuma bleed out, and then I watched as Watanabe's men assassinated Lord Asano and his family. I broke the arrow in half, and pull it out of my throat. Watanabe and his men stared on in horror as I kill each and one of them. Watanabe put up a fight, but when I claimed his head I was rewarded with a Quickening. I buried my dead, and watched on in silence at the candles burned out. One for each of my friends, and one for each member of the family. Akira's candle was the last to flame out.

"Where will you go?" Hana asked.

"I will become like all the other samurai without a lord." I said.

"If that is the case, head north. As far north as possible, there you will be left alone for the time being." she said.

"I shall." I said, and then walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

I make my way north, drifting from town to town. City to city. I stop in a city called Tokyo. There is no big sign in front of it, like that town that was near to that cave where I killed Grisha. Just plain old Tokyo, I found my way to a bar, and lost myself. I slowly became a drunkard, and borderline womanizer, but I could never look down on the women in the bar. Granted I later found out I end up in a brothel, I could never treat these women any differently than my wife. I stayed in the brothel about a month, never leaving. The owner tried to throw me out one night, but one of the patrons tried leaving without paying.

Through my drunken haze, I could hear the owner and the patron arguing. While they were arguing, one of the owner's girls came out shouting about how the patron physically abused the girl that was entertaining him. Something in me came alive, engulfed in flame. I had to gain my balance because of all the alcohol, but I was able to make my over to the fight. The patron was drawing his arm back about to punch the girl that came out shouting that he beat up the girl he left behind, but I reached out and grabbed the man by the wrist, restraining him.

"What do you want, you drunkard?" the patron asked.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you." I said in perfect Japanese shocking the patron, the owner, and the girl.

"Why, because you're going to kill me?" the patron scoffed.

"Keep it up, and you wish I would have." I said.

The patron looked at me for half a second before I grabbed a bottle and broke it over his head. I grabbed his head, and drove my knee into it his face breaking his nose. The man fell over backwards grabbing his nose, attempting to stop the blood flow. I looked up to see three of his buddies square up to defend their friends honor.

"I'd take my wounded and go." I said entering a fighting stance, preparing to defend myself, but the guards that work the brothel came to break the fight up. The guards didn't even attempt to throw me out. On the contrary, the owner of the brothel called me into her back room, and served me drinks.

"How does a foreigner like you, wind up in a brothel this far north?" the owner asked.

"I was on the run in Russia, and I found my way to Japan. Over a month ago, my lord and his family was murdered by Lord Watanabe. I killed Watanabe, avenging my lord's death, and then made my way north. I found your establishment to be comfortable as I try to forget the death of my lord, and his family." I said.

"How did you learn to speak Japanese?" she asked.

"I've been living in Japan for over twenty years. Before that my father was a part of a trading company." I said.

"Are you sure you don't work for a one, Henrietta Lange?" she asked.

"If that's the case, then you know full well I have had extra training." I said.

"I'm going to keep you on here at the brothel. You know how to defend yourself, and you will be a nice addition to security. Not only that, the girls have taken a liking to you." she said.

"That they have." I said, looking at the walkway leading to the backroom that was crowded with a lot of girls. "How about that girl that was abused?"

"She will be in the hospital for a time, but her wounds aren't serious. My name is Kitsune." She said.

It took me a moment to translate what Kitsune said. "The Fox." I said.

"Indeed, I am. Oh, you will find out soon enough. Now it's time for resting. Girls." Kitsune said clapping.

I was escorted out of the back room to one of the spare bedrooms that is not accessible to the public. Rooms that are pristine, and orderly. I haven't slept in a room like this since I was living in Hetty's fortress, but even these are still in class of their own. I think on Kitsune's words, and how Hetty could easily be here now, but I don't bother with the thought. I strip off my kimono, and make my way into the shower. As I'm in the shower, I get a visit from one of the girls. The moment in the shower was a lot longer than I wanted, but it has been four thousand years since I got close to a woman.

Come morning, I wake to see the girl I went to bed with had left during the night. I find that not only that my room and board is paid for, but I was also allowed a certain amount of booze a day. I picked some hard liquor, and it was enough to keep my mind off of the loss of my lord. This little arrangement went on for a two year. At the end two year mark, Kitsune approached me with new duties.

"I have a job for you." Kitsune said, as my body had finished passing the alcohol one day.

"This coming from Hetty?" I asked as my eyes were focusing on Kitsune.

"More or less." she said.

"Or are you giving me the orders, Hetty?" I asked, looking up at Kitsune.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Martin Deeks, but Hetty has, or last I knew, traveled to the west." she said.

"To the west? What does that mean?" I asked.

"She has traveled beyond Europe." Kitsune said, as she dropped a piece of paper in my lap.

I picked up the piece of paper as Kitsune was walking away. I read what was written on the paper, and went to collect my sword. After collecting my sword, I stopped by the bar to get a drink for the rode. I barely get the drink down as Kitsune calls out from the main entrance. "Deeks, any day now."

"Geez, guy has one drink. Coming." I said, as I place the glass on the table. I took a closer look at the glass and saw that it was half the size of a normal glass.

"It's a shot glass." the bartender said.

I make my way to the main entrance, and then make a left as soon as I step out. The sun was at the highest point in the sky, and I had to cover my eyes after spending so much time inside the brothel. I feel like crap. My head hurts, my eyes hurt, and I can still hear the girl in room five b having sex with that business man in my head from last night. _Or was it this morning?_ I think. Just as my eyes were adjusting, I had a mere seconds to get out of the way of an incoming attack. I roll out of the way, and draw my sword. I took me all of three seconds to realize that the man who had attacked me was followed by five other men, and they were previously employed by Lord Watanabe.

By the looks of things these men weren't in a talking mood, so I stripped off my unnecessary gear, and prepared for the fight. I'm not exactly sure if Watanabe had any men that are immortals, so I take their heads to keep any from following me. I took the head of the six men, and I was puking the alcohol up after I finished.

 _Tasted better when it was going down._ I thought as I was wiping my chin. _Then again, nothing tastes good coming back up._

I strap my gear back on, and then head out. I want to be gone before night fall. I find my way into the wilds, and through high lands. My journey takes me from one end of island to the other. It takes me to the northern tip of the island chain to the southern tip. It took me ten years to wander all five Islands. In all my travels I was never able to swear fealty to another lord.

I.M.D.

As I was making my way up to the brothel that I had left over ten years ago, I noticed that the place had been boarded up. The town looked rundown, and it seemed to be under new ownership.

"It's been a while." A voice from behind me said.

"Are you sure you're not Hetty?" I asked.

"I thought I told you that ten years ago that I wasn't." Kitsune said.

"No, but you have some of her habits. Like appearing out of nowhere." I said. Then I realized why she just appeared out of thin air. "And luring people to their demise."

At that precise moment, twenty heavily arm mem came around the corner. I wasn't even the slightest bit surprised, I wasn't even angry. There was no point. I dropped my gear, and drew my sword.

"It's the foreigner." one of the men said.

"We thought you were a myth." the leader of the group said.

"Get on with it." I said.

The men were in shock when I spoke the words in Japanese, but they drew their weapons and attacked me. All I sustained was a nasty cut to my abdomen that went down a layer before my internal organs, but I decapitated the men. The last man was an immortal, so my cut was mitigated.

"Definitely like Hetty." I said after catching my breath.

"Maybe… I just share some of Hetty's habits." Kitsune suggested.

"That you do, Kitsune. That you do. What are we going to do now?" I asked, picking up my gear.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Your brothel has been shut down—" I begin to say but Kitsune cuts me off. "You think I would let those men force me out of business?"

"No, and if I was a betting man, which I am not, I would come to the conclusion that you have a back entrance installed until I came back." I said.

"No need to use it now." she said, and knocked on the front door.

The boards were lift down from the window, and the doors were opened. The two of us entered, and I was set upon by the girl as they pulled my armor and weapons off. I went to find my corner, and I descended into my drunken stupor. I lifted the glass to my lips and was blown away the moment the liquor hit my tongue. "Hey, what is this stuff?" I asked the bar tender.

"It's whiskey I procured from London." she said.

"How many shots of this stuff can I have?" I asked.

"Two shots, but I don't want you lounging all day. I want you to get out and wander the village." Kitsune said.

"Alright." I said, without complaint. I've spent thirty plus years in Japan over the past three or four thousand years, and not once did I sit down and enjoy the scenery. I exited the brothel, and then wandered the city. After I exited the brothel, one of the girls that had taken a liking to me, had followed me out. Over the years we became close friends. We would sit under the cherry-blossom trees, and talk. We even took naps, but my time was running out.

I.M.D.

Twenty years later-

My time spent at the brothel was coming to a close. I could have stayed, the girls would have loved it, but I decided to leave. Kitsune is on her death bed, and the new owner didn't want foreigners working for them. So the night of Kitsune died, I stayed with the woman that favored me, and gave her a night she will never forget. After she fell asleep, I left a parting gift, and then went and sat with Kitsune.

"Hetty sent word yesterday. She wants you to go to Spain, and wait further instructions." Kitsune said.

I thought when people died in their old age that they would be struggling for breath. Kitsune was speaking in complete and full sentences. "Anything else?" I asked.

"She gave me this piece of paper." Kitsune said. As soon as I take the paper from her hand, Kitsune passed from this world.

It was in the early hours of the morning when I exited the brothel, and then headed north out of the town

"Deeks!" a voice called out.

I turned around to see it was the owner of the horse stable. I walked over to him to see what he wants. "Yes." I said.

"I was asked by Kitsune to take you with me when I headed to port." he said.

"Alright." I said.

I climbed on the back of the cart. The cart begin to pull away from the stable when I looked at the slip of paper that Kitsune gave me. And to my great surprise it was a message from Hetty.

 _Dear Mr. Deeks-_

 _I hope when this letter finds you you are well. I've had to attend to some matters personally, and I haven't been able to send for you. I do know that the culprit behind the attack on the fortress hasn't been caught, and our friend Ray is still tracking him. I have Miss Laurette Renard heading to Spain on a job, but I have no idea when she will arrive. The jobs I sent her on is a dangerous one, one that could lead to her imprisonment. So I will need you to get to Barcelona, Spain before she gets there._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Hetty_

Hetty didn't always explain her jobs properly, but the jobs always were completed in timely manner. I notice a post script at the bottom of the page.

 _P.S. Why don't you stop in Rome, Italy for a year or two? You have to experience the festival that is Carnevale._

I toss the piece of paper into the air, and then look off into the distance. _As long as I make it to Barcelona before Lara. Well my first stop, after Rome, is back to Scotland. I realized that now I have a reason to grow my facial hair out again, although I already have a five o'clock shadow._ I think as I begin to scratch my growing beard.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm on the ship heading to Rome for seven months, and those seven months are some of the best life. I can feel my body come to life, as if I was born on, and for the sea. There were women on board, but by their dress I could tell that they were nothing but trouble. The men in there are the type to get jealous if another man looks at them sideways, and I don't want that kind of hassle. Because they going to balk about defending their ladies honor, and I would just have to kill them anyways. So I just decide to keep out of sight, and keep up with my duties. After a while the women start to get sick, violently, and it goes on for a few hours. Their men can't do anything to make it subside. So, I approach one of the men and give them an old remedy to make the sickness pass. After giving the medicine to their women they turned to thank me, but I had already disappeared.

As I was stepping off the ship in Rome, I was already looking for any outliers. I've been worked for Hetty long enough to look for anything out of the ordinary. When nothing jumps out at me I head to the nearest bar. When I step through the front door of the bar, I can tell this is going to be my type of place. But just as I was making my way to the bar a patron kicked their leg out to bar entrance to the place.

"Locals only." the man said in Italian.

"I know Italians. They could care less about where you're from as long as the money is right." I said in perfect Italian. I looked up to see the entire bar staring at me. I flipped the man a coin, and made my way past him. Just as I'm approaching the bar, another one of the _locals_ stepped between me and the bar.

"You don't want to do that." I warned.

"What did the man by the door say?" the man asked.

I didn't answer. I grabbed the man's head, and slammed it against the bar. I grabbed a dagger off my body and threw it the blade catching fabric of the pant leg of the man by the door. I draw my sword, and place it just beneath the mandible of the next person to stand up. "Look at what I just did." I said to the man.

He look at his friend on the floor, who will have a splitting headache when he wakes ups, and the man by the door who was pulling the dagger out of the door frame. "If I wanted them dead they would be. Now take your wounded and go." I said.

The man by the door walked over to his friend on the floor placing my dagger on the table, and the one I had at sword point had thought against his original plan, and help picked the unconscious man up and the three men left.

"Hey." a person from behind me said. I turned to see the person tossing my coin back at me.

"What'll it be stranger?" the bar tender asked.

"Two things." I said.

"Okay." she said.

"When is Carnevale?" I asked.

"Just missed it. It ended yesterday, and you have to go to Venezia for it. Anything else?" she asked

"Got any whiskey?" I asked.

"Drink or shot." she asked

"Drink." I said and placed the money on the bar.

As the bar tender was pouring my drink I walked over and grabbed my dagger, sheathing it.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"I'm going to be in town for a few year. Know a place where I can live, and a place for employment?" I asked.

"I could use a new bouncer." she said.

"I'm your man." I said scanning the bar seeing if there were any contenders.

"None of these people are going to challenge you. There are two bedrooms upstairs. Your room is the one at the top of the stairs." she said.

"Thanks, and you name?" I asked.

"Mirabella Caito, but you can call me Bella for short? What's you name." Bella asked.

I looked at Bella as I was taking a drink, and I almost choke on it. Bella is a dead ringer for my wife. It took me a moment to regain my wits. "Ah, Martin. Martin Deeks." I finally said.

"Well Martin Deeks, you start today." Bella said.

"You can just call me Deeks." I said, and then went and put my clothes up in my room. I arrange the room to my liking, and then head back down. To my surprise the bar is bustling. I go to find my way to a booth in the corner.

The day comes to a close, and it was a quite one. The days go by, and it is very quiet in the bar. Not like it was when I was working Kitsune's brothel, although I can't complain.

I.T.D.

Eleven months later-

As I was cleaning one night after I broke up a brawl, Bella approached me. "I have good news, and I have great new." she said.

"Lay it on me." I said.

"Carnevale is only a few weeks away." she said.

"And the great part?" I asked.

"For the first time since I've been alive, Carnevale is going to be held in Rome, as well as Venezia." she said.

I smile brightly, and I thought of hanging out with Bella the entire time.

"Awesome!" I said.

"I have family coming in, so we can go out at least a couple of nights." Bella said.

I gave her a look that says _you know it_ , and Bella walked away with a very seductive look on her face. I finished cleaning up the mess, and took a seat. Six months ago I told Bella about being unable to have children, and to my great surprise she wasn't even hurt. The weeks leading up to Carnevale came and went, and to my great surprise I was completely blown away by the festival. The one downside about not being able to have children is the fact that Bella is jumping my bones every other day. Then again, Bella is loving it because she doesn't have to worry about getting pregnant. Which on the bright side is another good reason to be sterile, the children don't have to grow old and die while their father lives on.

The first night of the festival, as we were walking through the crowd Bella was explaining how the festival ran. "What's with the spiffy masks?" I asked, adjusting my mask so fits comfortable on my face.

"That's how Carnevale works. Everyone wears a mask, and is anonymous during the festivities." Bella said, and from the sound of her voice she had something sexual in mind while wearing the mask. The masks do sit on the bridge of the nose, leaving our mouths exposed.

"Oh don't worry. I won't miss you." I said.

Bella gives me a wicked smile, and runs off. Her plan of trying to disappear into the crowd might have stumped a normal man, but I have been tracking people for a few millennia. So I know how to follow people in the crowd. On top of that, Bella's hair style doesn't match the other women in the crowd. Then again, Bella's done her hair could be different than the rest of the crowd so I would be able to follow her. I've done enough tailing that I can spot my target from two blocks away in a crowded city. So I have no trouble tailing Bella.

We make eye contact periodically, and nothing more. Every time we make eye contact Bella gives me a coy, or seductive look that turns me on. We played cat and mouse for a minute or two, and then Bella opened a gate to one of the many bell towers and entered. I watched the tower entrance for a time, and then I slowly entered. I took my time climbing, savoring the moment to come. It was a tall building, but when I finally climbed to the top Bella was waiting for me. We gaze into each other's eyes, undressing each other.

We slowly approach each other, and when we're two inches from each other we forced not to touch. We slowly undress each other, and drink in each other's bodies. Bella had two different colored brown eyes, like my wife did. I trace the sharp angles of her hips, the softness of her firm breast. I even trace a scar across her belly.

"I was pregnant once. The child lived, but I lost my womb." Bella said with tears in her eyes.

I kissed Bella to quiet her pain. I help Bella to clear to the tears from her eyes and then she scanned my body in kind, which was cover in a lot of scars. A few that have faded, others that never will. We were kissing as I pressed Bella against the wall, and spread her legs, entering her. We stayed up in the bell tower until the day break. As the sun cast its long shadow across my body, I began to stir. I can feel and hear Bella stirring to. I can feel her body brushing against mine, her skin is as soft silk, and the color creamy olive.

Bella opened her eyes and gazed longingly into mine. We kissed as she was mounting me, and went one more round. Unlike last night where there was biting and scratching, mostly her doing, this was gentler and softer. After a while Bella dismounted me, and we got dressed again. We made our way out of the tower, adjusting our masks, and back to her bar. The festival last for two weeks, and the city returns to normal. Bella renovates the bar by buying the building next to it, cutting doorways between the two buildings, both upstairs and down. I stay on the bar for another year, helping get bouncers trained, and enjoying my time with Bella even more. The month leading up to Carnevale I told Bella I would be leaving.

"Bella." I said.

"Yeah Deeks." Bella said.

"After Carnevale this year I'm going to be leaving." I said.

"Where to?" she asked, the shock written in her features.

"My final destination will be Barcelona, Spain, but before that I have one stop to make before that." I said.

I can tell that this is not what she wanted hear. For the first time since her son had been born she found true love. "My life is not the life you want. It's a curse." I said.

"Doesn't look like it to me." she said.

"Trust me, it's not. Not only that, where I'm going I don't want you there. I could be going to my death, and I want you to live." I said.

Bella looked at me in shock. "Like I said." I whispered.

Bella kissed me, and then went back to work. The month past and Carnevale was upon us again. The city came alive, and we spent the entire festival together. And on the finally night we found ourselves up in that bell tower again. We had sex all night, and there was scratching and biting. I made Bella scream more than once that night. More than any other time I had been with her. Come morning, as we were exiting the bell tower, Bella gave me a gift. "What's this?" I asked.

"Something to remember me by." Bella smiled.

"Mirabella Caito, I could never forget you." I said.

I could tell by the shape of the cloth it was a dagger of sorts. I pulled the cloth off and saw that the sheath was plain leather that was long enough to accommodate a five inch blade. I pulled the blade from the sheath and saw on one side the word _Bella_ , and on the other side _Deeks_ had been etched into the blade.

"Thank you. And for you." I said.

Bella has a soft spot for rubies, so I had a necklace made with the stone set in the base. Bella was brought to tears that I would buy her such an expensive gift that she shoved me back into the bell tower for one last moment with me. I open the clasp on the necklace and put it around her neck, and closed the clasp. I kissed Bella good-bye, and then made my way to the port. I found a ship that would be heading all the way up to Scotland.

As the ship was sailing out of port I saw that Bella came to see me off. I mouth that I loved her, and bowed. Bella nodded, and watched as the ship left. I watch Bella on that dock until I was unable to see her no longer. It was at that moment I realized that I didn't want to sleep with another women that didn't look like me wife, albeit, I would sleep with a couple more women before I saw my wife's double again. It's been four thousand two hundred and eighteen years since I last saw my wife, and I can still remember her name: Kinzie MacLeod.

I.T.D.

Six months later, Scotland-

I disembark from my long journey in Glasgow, Scotland. I make my way out to the last place I remember I was born and raised, but I don't even make it out of the city. "What are you doing?" a voice asked, and one I could never forget.

"Ray. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Orders. I want you to forget whatever you came here to do. There are still people that want to kill you outside of this city. That ship on the far side of the harbor is leaving in twenty minutes. You're going to board it, and never come back here." he said walking back in the direction I had just come from.

"Sure you don't need any help?" I asked.

"No. Here's the fare to board the ship." Ray said handing me the coins to get on the ship.

I pay my fare, and board the ship. As the ship is sailing off both Ray and I nod to each other.

I.T.D.

Barcelona, Spain, six months later-

I wake up screaming from a horrible nightmare, but I didn't get to process it. I get my bearings, and then get out of bed. Just my luck as I was entering Barcelona six months ago, so was Lara. Hetty gave her the keys to the house, and instructions.

I remember the conversation well. Lara said that I was supposed to take it easy will she did all the leg work. I was not heaving it at first, but then I was reminded that I have no idea what the job was, and that I was sent as back up. I was very mad at Lara at first. We were both mad at each other. Lara most likely thought that I didn't believe that she could handle herself, which wasn't case at all. I could see that Lara was so mad that she was shaking, violently, but she wasn't too mad at me. She let me pull her into a hug, and I apologized.

" _My complaint has nothing to do with your skill level, or that you're a woman. It's just I spent the past four thousand years doing some kind of work. Now I'm just sitting around with nothing to do. It's maddening_." I said.

" _You're forgiven._ " Lara said.

As I was remembering the conversation I had stepped into the shower to freshen up. The nightmare had me sweating up a storm. After I had finished taking my shower, dried off, and had put some pants on at least did I exit the bathroom. We may share a house, and both immortal, but neither us wants to see the other naked. I was pulling a shirt out of the drawer when I heard a blade slipping its sheath.

"Who's Bella?" Lara asked.

"Bella was my lover for the past two years." I said retrieving the dagger, and putting it back in its sheath.

"You never struck me as the sentimental type." she said.

"That's because this particular woman was never in your presence when I was around." I said.

"She shared the face of your wife, didn't she?" she asked.

"Yes. Bella had lost her womb when she gave birth to her son." I said.

"Well, match made in heaven." She said.

"I never asked what happened to the son. All Bella said was that he survived being born, nothing more." I said.

"Probably because she didn't want to discuss it, plain and simple." she said.

"I know. Just not one of my finest moments." I said.

"That's an expensive dagger. I don't think Bella care whether you asked or not." Lara blurted out.

I chuckled, and then moved out onto the balcony with Lara behind me. We sat on the balcony, and enjoyed a cultural drink and snack, sitting in silence. Lara would leave every afternoon after our snack, and go work on whatever her business was. This went on for the next two hundred and forty years.

I.T.D.

Barcelona, Spain-

We're packing our equipment, and moving from Barcelona to Madrid. The Catholic Church had made a decree that everyone living in a territory that is governed by the Spanish crown should convert to Catholicism, or suffer the consequences. This would later become known as the Spanish Inquisition. It was a time of great uncertainty, and unrest. Those didn't convert to Catholicism were torture. Those who submitted were spared further torture. Those who did not were executed, either in the dungeons or in the public square. Most of the time when people were executed in the square they were always burned at the stake.

Halfway through the Inquisition, the capitol of Spain was moved from Toledo to Madrid. I felt even more fear being in the Capitol of Spain. Everything was going fine, and Lara was able to complete her mission until the last days of the Inquisition hundreds of years later.

I.T.D.

Madrid, Spain, three hundred and fifty-five years later-

Today is June fifteenth, eighteen thirty-four. I have an associate that told me that the Spanish Inquisition would be ending in a month, but the leaders of the church have decided to punish one last group of exiles. The group has thirty-two people in, thirty-three if you count me. The last person would have been Lara, but I took her place. She was able to complete her mission and kill her target, but the Quickening left her in a weakened state. So I bought her some time so she could escape.

While I was in prison I stood trial for my crimes.

"The accused stands trial from the crimes of assault, murder, and being a witch." the man presiding over my trial said reading off the list of charges.

"I'm not a witch, not really." I said.

"You were stabbed through the heart with a sword, and did not die! You are not human! You cannot be allowed to live, or you might spread your sorcery and corrupt more people!" another man said.

"So, what are you going to do? Burn me?" I asked.

"There are twenty other people in front of you that refused to repent of their sins and convert." The man presiding said.

"Religion holds no sway over me." I said.

"Blasphemer!" The judges started shouting.

I just stood there listening to the shouting, I could even hear some people behind me that started to cry. As if my fate had been sealed. I just stand there silent, and unperturbed.

"Because of you unnatural life that you live you will be execute tomorrow." The man who led this little trial said.

"It's a date." I said, winking at the man as I was being dragged off to await my execution.

It was a long twelve hours, or so until sunrise. And then the herd us out on to wagons, so we could be executed publicly. One by one our wagons began to move forward. When left the dungeon we were blinded by the noon day sun. I see that we were going to be paraded through the city like circus animals, all the way to our execution site. All the way to our site the crowd is shouting, mocking, and they even threw rotten fruit at the lot of us.

When we get to the site they force off the wagons, some we jerk out off of the wagons by the chains. People were maimed, disfigured and forced to walk to there in their current condition. We were all herd to our posts, and chained down so we couldn't escape. The only thing going through my head is that when this is all said and done I'm going to kill that man.

We all stood and listened as the crowd booed and jeered the _blasphemers_ , and waited for the judge to call for the pyres to be lit. I know that we have about ten minutes of speeches before we are murdered.

 _Any day now._ I thought wishing these people would get on with the unceremoniously killing spree. And to my great surprise the leader of the church brought order, and without a big speech called for us to be executed. And without any hesitation the torch bearers lite our pyres.

The last thing I remember is the flames burning away the flesh on my feet.

"ARGH!" I screamed.


	10. Chapter 10

I gasp as my body sucks in a lung full of air. I'm not exactly sure how much time has passed, but all I remember is the heat of the flames and the desire to end that priest's life. He was ordered to murder people because they didn't believe as him and his follows did. So, while I waited for my body to regain control of its motor functions, I go over a mental map of where that man could be. I went digging through the garbage to find some cheap clothes to cover my body. My skin has already begun to heal, and repair the damage caused by the execution. I remember trailing some people around the city, so I pick that up trail and follow it to a government hall of sorts. I wait there in the shadows for an hour until I'm rewarded with my target.

He was leaving to go home for the night, but for some reason it was very late. It didn't matter, he wasn't going to make it home. I followed him until he entered a dark alley somewhere, and then I struck. I was taken back by the fact that he was carrying a sword with him for some reason, but I didn't question it. I drew the sword and stabbed him in the chest when he turned to face me.

"But you died." the man said coughing up blood.

"I told you. I'm not a witch." I said, and then chopped off the man's head.

He wasn't an immortal, but I didn't want him to come back and cause problems for me later. I leave the body on the street, and take the sword with me. I decided to give it to Lara if she's still in the city. If not, I'll just leave it at Hetty's house. Whoever was coming to meet the priest arrived to find his headless corpse where I left it. By the time I got back to Hetty's place the city's bells were tolling to signal the murder of the priest, cardinal, or whatever that man's rank is. Lara was beside herself when I entered the front door.

"Was that you? Tell me that wasn't you." she said.

"I don't care that the Inquisition is going to be over in less than a month, nobody was going to punish that man." I said.

"We need to leave." Lara said, and exited out the backdoor getting into a carriage that was waiting.

As the carriage was rolling away from the back of the house, the police were approaching the front of the house. By the time police went to check around back we were already out of the city. As we were approaching the dock both Lara and I got out without waiting for the carriage to stop, and headed for the boat. But before we could board, we were stopped by one of the dock workers.

"Message for a Mr. Deeks." she said.

I took the message, and read it. It was from Hetty, how she knew were going to be leaving from this port is beyond me. She wants Lara to head back to France and wait for further instructions, while I was free to do whatever I wanted. I hate not having a job, but whatever. There was a post script saying that before we board the ship to go see a man named Shon. We asked a dock work if they knew this Shon, and pointed us in the right direction. We found the shop, and walked right in.

"Mr. Deeks, and a Miss Renard. What can I do you for?" Shon asked.

"If you know who we are, then you know why we are here." Lara said.

"Yes, I was informed that you two would be needing fresh equipment, mainly weapons." Shon said as he brought out two crates. When he opened the crate we saw that it was full of machetes. "Why do we need new weapons?" I asked.

"This the modern era. It's considered barbaric to be wandering the streets with a sword in plain view." he said.

I saw a particularly interesting machete, and pulled it out of the crate. The weapon was out eleven to fifteen inches long, from the hilt to the tip of the blade, and the blade had curve inwardly. "What's this thing called?" I asked.

"That beauty is called a kukri. They were made famous by the Gurkha in Nepal. They've been killing with those blades for the past twenty years." he said.

"I'll take two." I said as I sheath the one in my hand and grabbed a second one.

"The Gurkha only needed one." he said.

"Always have a spare." Lara said as she grabbed a pair of daggers.

Shon gave us a bigger rig to carry our weapons so they could be cover by a long coat. I hung my new weapons on my body, both of them under my arm, and Lara hung both of hers at the small of her back. I look at the coat and hat that Shon gave me, and the clothing was a little more fancier than I was used to, and the hat was something I've never seen before.

"What is this hat?" I asked.

"It's called a top hat. It's all the rage in big cities like London and Paris." he said.

I admired the hat, and then place it on my head. After we had settled on our selections, Shon gave us the necessary information and funds to get to our next destination. I decided to go to London and see what was going on in that city. Little did I know that I would engage in a dangerous game of cat and mouse fifty years later.

I.T.D.

North America: May ninth, eighteen sixty-five-

The American Civil war had just ended. General Lee and General Grant had signed the treaty to officially end the war, but off in the distance watching the men sign the treaty was a tiny woman who has been watching over the events of the war. Hetty smiled her sly smile at the resolution of the war, but her next objective to contend with is near impossible, but she will make something work. Hetty walked off to send another letter to Ray in Scotland. The last she heard that Ray was moving to kill his target, but hasn't heard from him since. Hetty wrote another letter, and sent it to Ray's last known whereabouts.

I.T.D.

Paris, France: eighteen ninety -

Ray had followed his target south from Scotland to France. He receive Hetty's letter informing her of his next move. Ray followed the target from the docks to government square. Keeping his distance, Ray saw that the man he was following was meeting a known weapons dealer. A weapons dealer that Ray had killed thousands of years ago. The man had kept a low profile for a while, but he resurfaced about four hundred years ago and started killing immortals. Ray followed the man to a ship, and then watch the man board. Ray gave the man a twenty person gap before boarding.

I.T.D.

London, England-

I was walking through the London borough of Whitechapel late one night when I heard a scream, and it wasn't a standard scream of fear. It was a banshee, a scream of death. It wasn't far from me, and it was west of my position. So I take off running, and I find the site of the murder. I see two people, the victim and the murderer squatting over the body. From this distances it looks like the murderer is doing something to the body. I then realized what the murderer was doing… he was disfiguring the body. "Hey!" I shouted.

The murderer didn't look over his shoulder at me, he stood up and started running. I think it's a he, their frame is thin and small enough it could be a woman. This person can move fast, and I'm starting to become wary of chasing them through the back alleys here. Every time I gain on them, they throw an obstacle in my way. I started to lose steam in chasing this person because I started noticing this person had laid traps for people that had started pursuing them. I lost sight of the murder, but I made a mental note of this place. I head back to the murder scene.

As I was approaching the site where I last saw the dead body, the police had already showed up. I was standing there watching the police process the scene when I saw a bystander talking to a cop point at me. I watched as the cop pointed at the officer and then point at me. I waited for the officer to come over to me. Just as he was approaching I started to walk past him. I know that the cop over in the distance wanted to talk to me. The officer was surprised by my actions, but led more over to his superior.

"My name is Detective Sean Beale. An associate of mine says that you saw the whole incident play out." Sean said.

Sean was about five feet ten inches tall, short blond hair, white skin tone, thin frame, blue eyes, and wore glasses. He was dressed in a suit and a trench coat. "I didn't see all of it. All I saw was the murderer standing over the body, disfiguring it." I said.

"What do you remember?" he asked.

"The murderer was over five feet tall, maybe closer to five six, he had white skin, long unkempt blond hair, and blue eyes." I said.

"Where did you chase this man to?" he asked.

"I chased him deep into borough, south of here." I said.

"Brave man. None of the officers and the detectives will go south our current position." he said.

"Maybe we could work together in an unofficial capacity." I suggested.

"What do you propose?" he asked.

"I'll work the alleyways trying to catch the murderer and follow him into his lair if need be." I said.

"And if we don't get this man in time before he kills again?" he asked.

"You let me know when bringing him in alive is no longer an option." I said.

"Do you have a number where I can reach you?" Sean asked.

"Yeah." I said to Sean.

I gave Sean my contact information, and then he cut me loose. I went home and got some rest because I had to go meet the Sean's chief in the morning. I sleep through the night without problems, but I had a feeling that this person would become a problem.

Come morning I wake up, shower, get a quick bite to eat, brush my teeth, and then head to Scotland Yard. I get to the Scotland Yard, and I'm taken back by the fact that the English had given their police station a name. Not that it's any of my concern. Though I have to say it's pretty strange to work with the police when I usually try to avoid them. I give my name to the woman at the front desk, and then a few minutes later Sean comes to collect me. As we're walking to the chiefs office Sean started to ask me a few question. "What kind of experience do you have working with the police?"

"Not much. In my line of work I usually try to avoid the police to keep them from getting killed." I said.

"What would make you think that we would get in the way?" he asked.

"The people I usually chase cannot be properly punished by the police, and they are usually beyond saving. Just take my word for it, you can't help the people I usually encounter." I say.

"What was different about last night?" he asked.

"It was the way that the woman was killed. The people I usually chase would have decapitated the woman and left, he stayed behind and desecrate the corpse by disfiguring it." I said.

Sean was about to ask another question, but we were approaching the chief's office.

"Mr. Deeks, I'm Chief Demarco Williams." the chief said introducing himself as we stepped into the office.

I almost jump out of my skin when I looked at Chief Williams because he looks exactly like that man I killed in France when I start this journey four thousand years ago. I don't let onto the fact that the chief startled me, so I shake the chief's outstretched hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said.

I was being briefed by the chief for a better part of the hour on all the information that we have on the man. He killed at least five people during the past two year ago.

"This man has killed five people within the last two years and he didn't leave the slightest bit of evidence?" I asked.

"He has left other evidence, but we usually don't discuss that particular piece. Your description of the suspect is the first solid we lead have since he started killing two years ago. Before your visual last night all we had were these letter." Sean said, handing me a letter.

I read the letter, and I was not surprised when the contents of the letter were basically the killer taunting the police and challenging them to catch him. But what blew my mind was the name that was signed at the bottom.

 _ **Jack the Ripper**_

 _A/N: I'm going to take a few civil liberties with the Jack the Ripper._


	11. New Faces and Old Familar Places

"Who's Jack the Ripper?" I asked.

"The man you chased last night. Jack the Ripper is an alias. His real name is unknown, and we don't have much to go on besides the letters, and your description." Chief Williams said.

"What do we know about Ripper's habits?" I asked.

"His victims have been prostitutes, and they have been picked at random." Sean said.

"He has never killed outside of Whitechapel, and the mutilations have always varied." Williams said.

"Give me the location of the previous murders. Is there five in total, or six counting last night?" I asked.

"No, last night was the fifth murder." Sean said.

"Give me the location of the scenes, and I will dig up what I can." I said.

"I appreciate your willingness to help…" Chief Williams began, but I cut him off.

"Your men can run down the more pertinent leads, while I go over the old scenes with a fresh eye. If I go you won't be wasting resources in case the search doesn't pan out." I said.

Chief Williams looked at Sean, and all Sean could do was shrug his shoulders. "Okay, but I want Sean to back you up." Chief Williams said.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked.

"Do you know how to process a crime scene?" Sean asked.

"All right, just don't do anything rash. We have no idea how the Ripper operates. Whether he will be out during the day, or if he strictly operates at night." I said.

"Think of Sean going along as the price of admission." Chief Williams said.

I roll my eyes, and exit the chief's office with Sean on my heels. We head back to the ground floor, and exit the building.

"Where to first? I asked.

"The first murder happened on the far end, near the train tracks." Sean said.

"Better grab a carriage." I said.

We turned a corner, and got on top of the waiting carriage. The first murder scene was miles away from our current position, so I used this time to get any necessary information.

"Is there any other information that I need to be aware?" I asked.

"Not really. He only targets prostitutes, it has always been at night, and it has been in Whitechapel." Sean said.

"Not exactly sure if I should be happy that he is only going after prostitutes in Whitechapel, or not." I said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"If Jack was going after high society women, men, or prostitutes we would be in a world of hurt. Instead he decided to target the women in Whitechapel." I said.

"No one is going to go looking for the women in Whitechapel." he said.

"Except the police." I said.

"And you." he said.

"Ripper doesn't fit the M.O. of the people I usually chase, but I'm chasing him because any man who sheds innocent blood should be made to pay the consequences." I said.

We rode the next ten miles in silence. When we had gone another four miles I asked. "How much further?"

"About another four miles, and then we have go down into the sewers." Sean said.

"Wonderful." I said.

"It could be worse." He said.

"You haven't seen the things I have. The only thing worse would be my death, and I'm not ready to die yet." I said.

"How much have you seen in thirty years?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." I said.

"Try me." he said.

"Trust me, you don't want to know what I know. Because even for a second that _if_ you did believe what I said was true, no one else would. So just trust me on this." I said.

"If you say so." Sean said, and we made the rest of the trip in silence.

It took us another hour before we got to our destination, and then it took us another fifteen minutes before we were at the sewers. I looked over my shoulder and saw that the sun was getting low in the sky.

"When they found the body originally, did they find it at night, or during the day?" I asked.

Sean looked at me a moment, and then looked over his shoulder at the sun getting low in the sky. "Jack rarely returns to on old site after we've clear it." Sean said.

"Let's assume anything. Follow my lead." I said, and then entered the sewers.

"You don't know where we're going." Sean said.

"And you said it yourself, you don't know if Ripper comes back or not." I said.

"All right, lead the way." he said.

It took us ten minutes to get to through the winding maze, and I was shocked to see that the scene was in pristine condition. "What has changed since you were here last?" I asked.

Sean scanned the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary, when I saw something behind him. "Sean, what's that rope behind you? And don't touch it." I said.

Sean turned around and saw the rope that had a ring tied to it, but didn't touch it. We both scanned the length of the rope, and saw that it was attached to a something in the ceiling. "What do you think is in there?" Sean asked.

"Let's find a way to pulling it without getting ourselves killed." I said.

I walk over to the floor underneath the rope I noticed that there were rugs under it. I pulled the rugs up and saw that the rope was on top of a booby trap. "What are those holes for?" Sean asked.

"If I had to guess when you pull that rope it activates a spike trap." I said.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's a booby trap that I encountered years ago. Usually those particular traps as set up in pits." I said.

"Those types of traps are usually found in a tropical areas like the Philippines." he said. "What were you doing all the way out there?"

"My dad used to work for a trading company based out of France. I was out with some of the local kids one day, and one of the children fell into the pit. Not a pretty sight let me tell you that." I said.

"Well, you sure do get around." Sean said.

"You have no idea." I said.

I found a pole to pull the handle down, but not before checking to see if there were any more traps. When I was sure there weren't any more, I pulled down on the handle and five spikes shot up under the spot were the rugs were placed, but what I didn't expect was the wall behind me to move back and slide into the wall.

"What the…" Sean said when he saw the secret room. I, too, was in a bit of a shock myself. I've heard rumors of people having secret rooms like this, just never had any proof to prove the validity of them until now.

"Take it nice and easy. We don't have any idea if this room is booby trapped either." I said.

I did a preliminary scan of the room, and was satisfied nothing else was going to try to kill us. I waved for Sean that it was clear for the moment to enter. The room was cover with all sorts of papers, pictures and posters on the wall. I scan the posters, and a few of the papers near me. I saw a few blue prints to some of the buildings over in the government square, but what caught my attention was a blue print that was covered up. I saw the word Yard, and pulled it out from under the other blue prints.

"Sean. Jack has a blue print to Scotland Yard." I said.

Sean came over and looked at the paper in my hand.

"That would explain how he got in to get that prostitute that we had in custody." he said.

"That's it?" I asked, exasperated.

"Jack never hits the same place twice." he said.

"Have you at least patched the hole through which he entered the building?" I asked, rolling my eyes at him.

"Yeah, but he hasn't tried to enter Scotland Yard since he kidnapped the prostitute." he said.

We spent twenty minutes scanning the rest of the papers, and then decided to leave. I grabbed the pole and pulled the handle again, replacing the wall, and then we left. It was well after sundown as we exited the sewer, and that moment I could feel something was wrong. I reached for one of my kukris, and spun around in time to block a stab that was aimed at my lung.

It was Jack the Ripper, and I got a good look at his face. He'd looked way worse than I first imagined. His face was extremely worn with a few hard lines, and he had blue eyes. "So, you're the interloper who has decided to help the police." Jack said with a raspy voice.

"I'm only helping the police because of your unethical actions." I said.

"Unethical? They were prostitutes, who going to miss them." I said.

"They still had families. You still murdered them." I said.

I redirected Jack's stab, and kicked him in the gut. I saw that Sean had stabbed, but it was in the shoulder and it was a superficial wound. The moment it took for me to check on Sean, was enough for Jack to get up and start running. "Go after him." Sean said.

I didn't have to be told twice, I sheath my Kukri and take off after Jack. Jack had a head start, but I was gaining on him in nothing flat. Jack did everything he could to slow me down, but I was seeing the obstacles before he would throw them. The one thing I wasn't expecting was Jack to set a trap for innocent bystanders. But Jack was expecting I made sure everybody got to safety before resuming my chase. I remember Jack running south of my position, which dumped me into an alley way with three more alleys to search. I make a mental note of this alley way, and then head back to find Sean.

By the time I got back to Sean, Chief Williams was on scene. "Where's Jack?" Sean asked.

"He sat a trap, and I had to let him go." I said.

"He set a trap, and you abandoned the chase." a random detective asked approaching the group.

"If I had to guess, the trap was set to hurt innocent bystanders." Sean said.

"Where did you lose him at?" Chief Williams asked.

"West of here, where the alley splits into three more." I said.

"I know the place." Sean said.

"I'll send men to check the area later. Sean said that you found a room with all sorts of paperwork, and posters." the detective said.

"Yeah, and?" I asked.

"We can't find it. There's a rope just hanging out in the middle of the room, but Sean told us not to pull it. Said something about a trap." the detective continued.

"The information that room is out dated. How Jack knew to come back here is beyond me, but he did. And somehow he had enough time to set up that trap." I said, but this new detective is bothering me.

"How long until Jack strikes again?" Chief Williams asked.

"I don't know, and I'm not evening going to try to guess. Anybody have a map of Whitechapel?" I asked.

"Why do you need a map of this district?" Sean asked.

"I'm trying to plot potential places for Jack to hide, or potential areas for him to commit his next murder." I said.

"Do you realize how big Whitechapel is?" the detective said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. What was it?" I asked.

"Name's Gerard Manx." The detective said. Gerard was about five feet seven inches tall, dark brown hair, brown eyes, pale white skin complexion, a goatee, and a medium build. I'm want to keep an eye on Gerard, but I have to move on to the next crime scene.

"When Sean finished getting patched up, I'll have him grab the map for Whitechapel." Chief Williams said.

"In the morning we'll pick up where we left off. Gerard, a word. In private." I said.

Sean and Chief Williams left to get an update since our little pow wow, and they were pulled quite the distance from us. "What's your game?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. You're an outsider working with the police to catch a murderer that has been plaguing the city for two years. You show up and you have a lead on the man in one day. Who's the one playing a game?" he asked.

"If you think I'm the one working with Jack the Ripper, take me in then. I'll tell you this though, you would be wasting your time pursuing me as a suspect." I said.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"How well do you know Whitechapel?" I asked.

"I hate it, but I've spent a lot of time here. How much of my expertise are you going to need?" he asked.

"Work the brothels, during the day." I said.

"Are you serious? They're going to know I'm a cop." he said.

"One that is looking to stop a serial killer from killer any more of their associates. They may not be your type, but streetwalkers can be very talkative when the right buttons have been pushed." I said.

"Have you seen the streetwalkers in London?" Gerard asked.

"Nope, but they aren't going to care if you give them justice." I said.

Gerard waved his hand, and then walked away. I told Sean that I would meet him at Scotland Yard in the morning. I head home for the night, and try to get some sleep. A lot of things happened today that were hard to swallow. How did Jack know to check the first murder scene again? Why did Jack use that spike trap? What's Manx's angle? Those are only some of the questions plaguing my mind, but I put the away for the time being. I get a shower, brush my teeth, and crawl into bed.

I wake in the morning to a pounding on my door. I open the door to Sean, who was holding a crate with a bunch of papers, a map and a box of food. "The Yard is a mess this morning. Chief Williams told me to get lost, so we could continue working on your plan." he said as he entered my house.

We entered the kitchen, and then Sean put the map on the table, and put four cups, one in each corner, to keep it open. I put the rest of the files on the counter, and placed the box of food on a chair between us.

"Place the marks on the map were you lost track of Jack." Sean said.

I look for the spot where I last Jack two nights ago, then I found where I lost him last night, and then I place an X at those two places.

"Anything look familiar?" I asked.

"If I had to guess, because Jack keeps disappearing over here, I'd say Jack's hideout is this structure here." he said.

"Let's go check the rest of the crime scenes." I said.

We spend the rest of the day going to the last four crime scenes. The first three were a bust, but the last one had crest that I haven't seen in a few millennia. I know the address. It was the place I stayed at when I came to London when I first started my journey years ago.

"What's the matter?" Sean asked.

"It seems that there is a group that has been hiding in the shadows for a few millennia, and it seems that Jack the Ripper was among their ranks until two years ago." I said.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Remember when I said that you wouldn't believe me even if I told you." I said.

"Let guess they tried to recruit you years ago?" he asked.

"Yeah. We have another place to check out before we can make a move on Jack." I said.

"Lead the way." Sean said.

We exit Whitechapel, and head dead into the heart of London. When we get to the house in question, I'm in awe. Not because the house had been torn down and remodeled, couldn't expect the house to remain standing after four thousand years. But the fact that whoever took over rebuilding the place, rebuilt it to look like it did all those years ago. As if they were expecting Hetty, or one of her people to return.

"Is there a problem?" Sean asked.

"Last time I approached this house it was half the size of what we are looking at." I said.

We fell silent, and then approached the house.


	12. Killing Jack and WWI

As we were approaching the door it was opened by a butler who was told to expect us.

"Welcome Mr. Deeks, and Mr. Beale. The master of the house has been expecting you. If you would follow me please." the butler said.

The two of us steps into the house, and wait for the butler to shut the door. He led us to a room we would be waiting in until the master of the house came to see us. Which wasn't long.

"Detective Sean Beale, Martin Deeks, what a pleasure it is for you to join us. Would you like some tea and crumpets?" the master of the house said.

I almost jump out of my skin when I laid eyes on the master. "No Mr. Deeks. I am not the man you met on the boat four thousand years ago. I am his descendant, though we were hoping you would have come and seen us sooner." he said.

"Four thousand years ago!" Sean whispered.

"We'll discussed that later." I said to Sean. To the master of the house I said. "I'm not here to join your group."

"Then why did you come here? If you had no plans to join us, what is the purpose of this visit?" he asked.

"I'm pretty certain that you have an idea of the chaos that has been occurring in Whitechapel." I said.

"Ah, this business involving Jack the Ripper. Terrible business if I do say so myself." he said.

"That's very true and all, but I saw your crest at the crimes we just left." Sean said, spotting the crest on the wall behind the man. It was of a wheel with sixteen spokes.

The man turned to look at the crest. Before he turned back to face us he thought about his next words. "Choose your next words wisely because Scotland Yard will be the least of your worries." I warned.

"Is that a threat?" he asked.

"Jack was one of yours, and you lost control of him. Instead ending this yourself, you just let Jack run amok in Whitechapel." Sean said. "Or Jack is some kind of experiment, and you're seeing how he does in the field."

I watch the expression on the man's face, and then I realized the truth. "You had nothing to do with Jack becoming the monster he is, and the last crime scene we came from just happened to be in one of your warehouses." I said.

"Jack the Ripper was a low level enforcer for a gang, which one it was I don't remember, we used to do business with. A business deal went south, and the man Jack used to be was covered in a nasty substance. He lost control of his mind, and fled into Whitechapel." he said.

"Let's go Sean. There's nothing else here." I said turning for the door to leave.

"That's it?" Sean asked.

"Let it go. We have other leads to run down." I said.

"Our offer to join still stands." The man said.

"I didn't accept your ancestor's offer four thousand years ago. This will be the last time we speak face to face." I said, and then left with Sean hot on my trail.

"Where to now?" Sean asked after we had stepped out of the house.

"No idea," I said.

"You think we should head back to Chief Williams about the new development?" he asked.

"That's not going to be of any use to us now." I said.

"Better do it any way. That way it won't be my butt when the true identity of Jack gets out." Sean said.

"Lead the way." I said, rolling my eyes.

We get back on the carriage we had, and then head back to Scotland Yard, and it was a long drive back too. I can see it in Sean's face that this turn of events was not sitting well with him. And if I had to guess it was the secret society that was getting away with everything. "Trust me on this Sean, let it go." I said.

"I'm a cop, and my job is to enforce the law. I don't get to choose which laws to enforce, and which ones not too." he said.

"That's not the point, and you know it. Ten pounds say that Chief Williams and the rest of your command staff already knows about the secret society and they're aren't doing anything about it. Fifty pounds says that some of your command staff is in bed with the secret society." I said.

Sean was about to counter what I just said, but stopped. It took him a few moments to register the implications of my accusation, and then he turned his head and stared at me. "You're lying." he said.

"You don't have to believe me. Just wait until we get back to station." I said.

Sean shot me another look, and then feel silent for the remainder of the trip back to Scotland Yard. Sean knew in the back of his head that I was right, and that he was going to have to tread carefully if he was going to see this case through to the end. After we stepped off the carriage in front of the station, Sean asked. "What do you think that the brass will want to do with Jack?"

"Kill him, and sweep the whole thing under the rug. Jack was an ex-gang member. They don't want that getting out, the newspaper would eat that story alive." I said.

"We can't let that happen." Sean said, and then entered the station.

I followed in behind him. Just as I entered I saw that the whole building was having a group meeting in the main lobby. I didn't get to stay for the whole thing because I was pulled out off of the lobby and back onto the street.

"What was that all about?" I asked when I got my balanced.

"You're visit over to the house on Tenth Street ruffled some feathers, and the wrong kind. Sean is getting a slap on the wrist, but the brass wants to arrest you. Take this and go. It's the location of Jack's hide out. Don't go back to your place of residence because there are some patrolmen watching your house. They already grabbed the evidence that Sean brought over, and they will use it to lock you away for a few years." Chief Williams said.

I took the piece of paper that Williams gave me, and got back on the carriage that we rode over here from the Tenth Street. I head over to the house that Hetty had set up years ago. I parked the carriage two blocks from the house, and then entered through the back. I grabbed few things, and then head out the back again because there was a couple coming in the front door. I head back to the carriage that I had, but I saw a couple of patrol men standing in the street waiting for me to return. I slowly made my way to the north through the back alleys.

I was approaching Whitechapel as the sun was setting, and then pulled out the map that the chief gave me. I follow the map until I get to the exact location that I lost Jack the first time. I found a small fire burning, probably set by one of the nearby bums, and put the map on it. As the map caught fire I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned to see a few people standing around a fire in the distance. I see someone in the alley way on the other side of this square that we were in. It took me a moment to realize that I was staring at Jack the Ripper.

My instincts were attack Jack this very instant, but he would have known that I was on to him. So instead I decided to walk down another alley way, but only far enough that the ambient light wouldn't cast a shadow. It took Jack thirty minutes before he decided to move, but he wasn't by himself. I see that he was with a few patrol officers, and they were dragging a couple of bodies in my direction. I waited for them to turn down the alley way that I was about enter originally.

I was going to wait this group out, but one of the bodies seemed familiar, so I climbed up onto the roof and followed them from there. Which only lasted for about two blocks because I was forced to enter Jack's building from the ground level. I checked the roof for any opens, but I think Jack account for some possibility of what I trying to do. Which is fine by me, trying to sneak in from the roof only increases my chances of being spotted. I waited for the patrol officers to leave, giving the group about thirty minutes to leave or come back with another body.

Which actually turn into an hour because they had about two bodies to bring into Jack's hideout, but then after the bodies were taken inside, the five cops that helped Jack carry the bodies in the stood around and waited for Jack to come back out. They stood around talking for about five minutes, and the entire this is going on I'm hearing all sorts of information: people that are being implicated in this whole ordeal: everybody except Chief Williams, the detectives, and the patrol officers were being implicated. Which left the brass, and some of the city officials in parliament.

I noticed that the door had been propped open, but I couldn't move from my position at the moment. When Jack came out I was shocked at how close that I am to the group of men and women. I see that I'm surrounded by a mess load of bums, and I seem to fit in. My clothes are worn just enough that I belong, but I could still walk through downtown London without drawing attention to myself. Before Jack went back into his hideout, there was an exchange of money, and then the officer's left. Jack enter his hideout, but the door didn't shut all the way. Whether by design, or faulty manufacturing, I was able to sneak into the building without a problem. As I was making my way through the building I heard Jack talking in his raspy voice, then I heard him say a name.

"So Detective Sean Beale. It seems that you have been causing problems for the brass by investigating the murders I committed." Jack said.

"Well I am a cop. Investigating murders comes with the territory." Sean said.

And if I had to guess who the second person was it had to be Chief Williams. I made my way through the building until I found Chief Williams body. I wake the chief, but I have my hand over his mouth to make sure he doesn't make a sound. I whisper that the do is about twenty meters south of us, and that I was going to get Sean. After Williams made it to the door he hear a blood curdling scream, and then nothing. A few minutes later he saw both his detective and myself come walking down the hallway towards him.

We exit the building making our way back to Scotland Yard, and the entire trip back I tell Chief Williams everything I heard while I was waiting to strike. One thing I forgot to do was to kill Jack properly. Come morning I enter Scotland Yard to account of the things I heard and saw last night when I overhead a couple of detectives talking.

"They said that Jack the Ripper was killed last night." a male detective said.

"I went to secure the site. Jack's body wasn't in the building." a female detective said.

"How soon after we left?" I asked

"We didn't get there until an hour after you left." the woman said.

"Word is someone stole the body after you left." The man said.

I knew well enough that the body wasn't stolen the body. Jack the Ripper is now an immortal. The rest of the day was a blur. In and out of meetings. Back and forth from the courthouse, and the station. By the time I was able to go check the site a week had passed since Jack had become an immortal, but I still went to check for any clues. When I came up empty handed I headed home, but I had a note waiting for me when I came home, and it was from Jack. It was basically Jack taunting me that I failed to kill him, even after that shady business deal that had failed to do so. And then it dawned on me that Jack was already an immortal.

I was in London for another twenty-four years when I received a letter in the mail.

I.T.D

It's July Thirty, Nineteen-fourteen. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria had just been assassinated two days ago, and I received a letter in the mail today. It was from Hetty, and it read that I should enlist in the war, and head to Germany. In Germany there was an old associate of mine there that got away twenty years ago. I didn't need to be told twice. I threw away the letter and head down to the recruitment center. Upon entering the center, I was approached by one of the medical staff, and taken back. I took me the better part of a day to get through the examination process.

After the process, I went before the board of doctors, and some a few military people. Something about being in perfect health that they were considering me for deep cover operations. I agreed, and I asked when I was shipping out. When I was given my date I went home, and wrote a letter to Hetty, and see if she could get my kukri's special delivery when I get to my first post. The day before I shipped out for basic training, a man came calling with a message from Hetty about collecting my weapons. I handed my kukri's over, and then went out with some friends. Come morning, I head to the recruitment center and board a bus to the base where I would be trained. The training lasted two months, and then went onto to further my training.

I went through two more training camps before I was give my orders to report for duty. It took me two weeks to get to my duty station. And when I got there I had a package waiting for me. I strapped my kukris to my body, one on my left thigh the other one I strapped to the my right shoulder, and then I went to find my unit commander. The briefing lasted an hour, and there multiple targets to kill. And to my great surprise, Jack was one of the target. But it wasn't meant to be. Jack was in the upper ranks, which is a bit of a shock, and we had to start at the bottom. We ship out at zero four hundred hour. I look at my wrist watch, a fancy new invention that has been around for a century.

I grab a few hours shut eye, and then board the plane. At zero four hundred sharp the plane lifted off, and took us to our first drop. After we hit the first target we would move from there to the next target. It would, hypothetically, take us a three months to hit all the targets, but if I was a betting man the Germans will realize what we are up. Jack may not know I'm coming after him, but sooner or later he'll figure it out that I'm in this group. When that day comes he'll probably get out of dodge. Jack never did fight fair.


	13. Chapter 13

It was a two hour flight to the drop point, and my mind went to the place it usually does before I take down a mark. I studied the map for the first place we were going to, but we wouldn't know where we were going after that. So I settled in and got ready to play the waiting game. At the two hour mark exactly we were parachuting out the back of the plane.

I.T.D.

Germany: Four years later-

Today is November Eleventh, Nineteen-eighteen. World War One had just end, but as I expected Jack got away. It took longer than expected to go through that list of names that we had. Luckily enough, Jack left a trail for me to follow. As my team was clearing the final room in the bunker, I found records of other bunkers, facilities, and laboratories that have yet to be cleared. I weigh all the possible scenarios of where Jack could go. I spent enough time behind enemy lines I was able to speak German fluently.

"Where did he go?" I asked one of the prisoners, showing them Jack's picture.

When he refused to answer I said. "Withholding his location serves no purpose because your side has surrendered, and the signing of the treaty to end the war officially is pending. So what's the harm in telling me where he went?" I asked.

The prisoner, a young man, walked over to a map, and pointed to my next stop. "Thank you." I said.

"Deeks, word from command came in. Where to head back to the LZ, and await for extraction." the team leader said.

"I'm afraid that I cannot follow you. I have a lead on one of the people that we lost. I can't go back or the trail will go cold." I said.

"Are you sure you want to disobey a direct order?" the second in command asked.

"I'm not technically from Great Britain, I'm from Scotland." I said, in Scottish accent.

"How did you learn to hide it?" team leader said.

"With years of practice. If you have to, say that I fell in battle and you couldn't recover my body." I said.

"He left for that location about five months ago." the prisoner said.

I rolled my eyes, and then prepared for to head to the LZ. I lost track of Jack, and by the time I saw him again, he would have changed his name, and cut his hair really short. After I was released from active duty, I made my way to Scotland to see how home again. To no surprise the village that I use to live in had been swallowed up in the ocean of time. _I'm the only thing that has survived._ I think shedding a few tears.

I.T.D.

Los Angeles: Twenty-nine years later-

I found Jack's trail again, and it took me to a city on the west coast of America. To a city that will become very well known to me: Los Angeles, the city of Angels. I only know it was Jack because of how the victim was killed. The giveaway was that she had been decapitated, which was to be expected. And he had also mutilated the corpse, which he did about fifty plus years ago. What I didn't see coming was that victims' corpse, which was female, had be cut in half, severed at the waist. I was almost certain that this was my boy, but cutting the woman in half was a new trick. I didn't come forward because I haven't seen or heard a peep out of Jack since I came to town.

I read in the paper a few days after the press had published the case that the victim's name was Elizabeth Short, and her nickname, or at least in the newspapers, was the _Black Dahlia_. Two weeks after the case had been opened I was sitting outside a sidewalk café reading the daily paper when I felt a pair of eyes on me. I look around taking stock of everything, and everyone around me. This went on for two weeks, but I notice the same outlier every day, and for some strange reason they kept getting closer and closer until they were only a table away. So the very next day I decide to strike up a conversation with the woman.

"I'm not exactly sure what your game is, but you can give it up." I said.

The crowd was stared at me like I was crazy. I continued talking without looking up from my newspaper. "I'm not talking to any of you." I said to the crowd, and they went back to what they were doing. "I'm talking you ma'am, the one wearing blue skirt, white blouse and a navy blue jacket. If I had to guess you had at least one or two other people with you." I said.

"My name is Loretta Jones, and I'm just here by myself." she said.

I looked up from my newspaper, and I had to school my features because Loretta looks like Johanna Jones that I meet in London all those years ago. Exactly the same. "You expecting company?" she asked.

"Yeah, you. Was beginning to wonder when you were going to join me at my table. I spotted you two weeks back." I said.

"And yet you did nothing?" she asked.

"If you wanted to do something you would have, but if I had to guess you came to secure my services." I said.

"Oh, yeah. What makes you think that?" she asked.

"I'm a ghost. Have been for the past thirty-two years. No knows who I am, and if I was asked to stand in a line up nobody would pick me. If I had to guess, you were tapped by Hetty to come get me." I said.

"Who?" she asked.

"Really? Hetty Lange." I said.

"You know who she is?" she asked.

"We have a history of violence, death, and equal measures of blending in." I said.

"You sound like my kind of man." she said.

"Your kind of man for what?" I asked.

"There's a new organization that is about to go active in a few months, Hetty is already an agent." she said.

"When do I start?" I asked.

"You haven't even heard the sales pitch." she said.

"Did I mention that I knew Hetty Lange?" I asked.

"Yeah." she said.

"I have an idea what I'm getting myself into." I said.

"There's a plane leaving at five pm tonight from the airport. Enter the airport at the international departure and tell the woman by the entrance this phrase: The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows, and she will take care of the rest." she said.

"The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows, got it, anything else?" I asked.

"The training will be like nothing you have ever experienced, but Hetty says that you will not have any problems." she said.

"True story." I said. "Got a question for you? Mind if I call you Jo?"

"Umm… why?" she asked.

"There was a woman I knew who looked exactly like you, and I used to call her Jo." I said.

"If it makes you feel better." Loretta said, skeptically.

"See you in a few months Jo." I said. I left a tip for the server, and then went to pack my gear. I found my old service jacket that I wore during World War II when I was chasing Jack. The coat was loose enough to cover my Kukri's. I finished packing my duffle bag, and exited the house. I left the key in the flower pot outside the door, and the got into a cab that had pulled up as I was walking out to the curb. I enter the cab, after placing my luggage in trunk, and headed to the airport. I look at my watch to see that after I had left Jo at the diner it had only been two hours, and the plane wasn't supposed to leave for another three hours. But if I know these people the plane will be ready to leave as soon as possible.

I arrive at the airport, and tell the driver to take me to the international terminal. When I'm unloading my luggage at the door, I'm approached by three people two men and a woman. The woman greets me with the line that Jo said, and then I gave her the line that I was given.

"We weren't expecting you for another three hours." one of the body guards said.

"I saw no problem in coming early." I shot back.

"Our other guest has arrived, so there is no point complaining about." the other bodyguard said.

"If you will follow me please, we will get you through security and to our plane." the woman said. I didn't hesitate to follow, but I was a bit suspicious though. This new woman looked like Kensi, but that was only in physically appearance: namely her frame. Some of her other features weren't there. As much as I wanted to have a relationship with this woman, I decide against it. Unless there is a mutual attraction between me and the woman, and this particular one only looks to be only doing her job, I'm going to keep my distance. I need to be wary of women going forward. Some of them could be using their body to get me to drop my guard.

We get through security with no problems, and then we are taking some back hallway. When we exit the hallway we are out on the tarmac, and the plane that would take me to some other part of the country, if not out of it. Upon boarding I see that the other guest was Jo.

"You're here early." Jo said in surprise.

"Better to get this over with, yes?" I asked.

"I'm not complaining. My superior had a hard time getting Hetty to come along." she said.

"I'm not Hetty, and if Hetty sent you to come get me it means she already had me vetted." I said.

"Hetty vetted you? How is that even possible?" Jo asked.

"That's not possible," said the woman he got me through the airport.

"We're are we not? You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." I said.

"I'll be the judge of what I can, and can't believe." Jo said.

"I was instructed by Hetty to keep quiet on this particular subject." I said. "I will discuss almost anything with you, but a few topics are off limits."

After I finished speaking, I felt the plane taxiing out onto the run way, and a few seconds later we were taking off. I look out the window, and I see the pilot turn to the right after taking off heading east.

"Where are we heading?" I asked.

"The headquarters for company is in Virginia, but the place where we are going to be dropping you off at is going to be in Catskill Mountains." said the woman who I realize was Jo's assistant.

"Never been to the Catskill's, heard they were beautiful, just never had the time to go." I said, which was true because I had been chasing Jack since I entered the country. What would have been a five hour flight took only two and half. We stepped off the plane, and there were a couple of black sedan cars, with blacked out windows. _Seriously._ I thought, and got in without speaking. It was a thirty minute drive to our hotel.

"Why are we staying here for the night?" I ask.

"It's a three hour drive to our stop." Jo said.

I look up at the sun's positon, and see that it's about six o'clock. "The person who runs the place doesn't like late night visitors?" I asked.

"Pretty much." Jo said.

Jo's assistant came back with the room keys. "What time are we leaving in the morning?" I asked.

"Be ready to go at five." Jo said.

"See you at four." I said.

I head to my room as I hear a bodyguard complaining again, but I ignore him. I get some rest, and at three in the morning, I wake and go for a run. I'm out for thirty minutes, and back to my room to get a shower and something to eat. At four o'clock sharp I'm dressed, packed and heading out the door when there's a knock. I open the door to see Jo's assistant standing there.

"Loretta's superiors would like word with you before we head out to the training site." she said.

I waved for her to lead the way, and we head to a diner on the far end of the property. I'm not even near the door and I can already who I'm going to be talking to. A couple of stiffs in three piece suits. _Sheesh._ I think. Upon entering the diner I see Jo was on the inside of a booth hidden by the stiffs.

"Martin Deeks, these are my bosses: Max Rapp, and Lincoln "Link" Branagh." Jo said.

Max and Link rose to shake my hand, and we all had a firm hand shake. "So tell us about yourself Martin." Max said.

"Not exactly sure what you want me to say." I replied.

"We want to know if there is anything else you could tell us." Link said.

"Seriously?" I ask Jo. Then I look to Link saying, "You sent Loretta to come and get me, knowing full well that Hetty vetted me, and you want to know if there is anything else I had to add or take away. Is that about right?" I asked.

"Hetty is not a team player." Max said.

"Hetty doesn't take orders well in general. She was betrayed by one of her subordinates years ago. I spotted Loretta weeks before she spoke to me, and she only spoke to me because I spoke first. I know for a fact that I could have killed Loretta, her assistant, and their two bodyguards and you wouldn't have known what happened to them." I said, pulling my coat back on my right side to reveal a kukri.

Max was taken back by this, while Link was surprised, and Jo had a look of fear on her face. "And that is all I need to know." Link said, and then got up from the booth. "Jack Hurley will meet you out at the site."

"You got it." I said, allowing my coat to fall back into place. I stood up from the booth, and exited the diner.

"You want this maniac on our team?" Max snarled.

"If Loretta was a threat, Marty would have killed her. This is the reason you aren't allow out in the filed on ops, Loretta. Deeks had you pegged the moment you started watching him." Link said, and then exited. I waited by the car that would take me out to the site. Jo was exiting about the two minute mark. Before Loretta approached the car, I put my hand out to stop her.

"Would you please move your hand?" Loretta asked.

"I will, but I want you know how you feel." I said.

"I don't that's really necessary." she said.

"Your tone of voice says otherwise." I said.

Loretta opened the back door, leaned in, and did something that was out of my sight, then got into the car. When she doesn't shut the door behind her I get, and the first thing I notice was that there was a pane of glass or dense plastic that wasn't there last night. Which means that it's thick enough so we can speak in private.

"Was that show of force really necessary?" she asked, as the driver was backing of the parking space.

"I knew you weren't a going to kill me, and I had no intention of doing so. You can blame you bosses for that show of force." I said, as the driver left the parking lot.

"Noted." she said.

"Can I still call you Jo?" I asked, testing the waters.

"Yes, you can." she said, but I could tell that she didn't want me to after that little display in the diner.

It was a quiet ride to the site were my training to become a modern day assassin, but nothing has really changed in the four thousands since Hetty set me on this path. I look out the window as I realize that only the tools and technology have changed. I guess that old same is true: the more things change the more they stay the same. The saying makes me snicker, which gets Jo's attention.

"What's so funny?" she asked

"An old saying that I heard when I was growing up." I said, still looking out the window.

"What is it?" she asked.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." I said, looking back at her.

"You're saying that the tools and technology have changed, but the killing hasn't." she said.

"Yep." I said, and then look back out the window.

"You think that killing is beneath you?" she asked.

"I don't enjoy killing. I kill because bad men need to be removed." I said still looking out the window.

"Huh." she said.

"What?" I asked.

"I figured you enjoyed the killing." she said.

"I've seen a lot of death in my life time, believe me when I say that I don't enjoy death. I've had to kill friends who had lost their way. Killing is an acquired taste." I said, looking at Jo momentarily, but return to looking out the window.

 _A/N: The inspiration for Deeks to become a CIA assassin was because of the book American Assassin._


	14. Phantom Protocol

It was almost nine in the morning by the time we arrive at the training site. It's off in the woods, the kind of place that doesn't exist on any political map or budget, officially at least. Unofficially, this is the place that people who excel at doing bad things to people that the government leaders can't be bothered, or who want to remain innocent in the event of political fallout, to do themselves. _A life I know all too well._ I was thinking as the car was pulling up to a stop, abruptly. Through the side window, opposite me, I saw a man standing at the top of the stairs, and if I had to guess that was Jack Hurley.

Jack Hurley is a caucasian male about five feet nine inches tall, one hundred and eighty pounds, weather features, short dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and average frame. The kind of guy who has seen and done just about everything. The kind of guy who has a strong judge of character, and can easily weed out the pretenders.

"I'll be right back." Jo said, and then stepped out of the car to go talk to Jack.

I know Jack is going to give Jo an earful about bringing some stray in that hasn't been tested, but I'm pretty sure Jo is pulling rank and make him train me. I honestly could care less out these people, and if I wanted to I could slip out this car and disappear into the forest. But Hetty sent this organization to recruit me, so I need to play by the rules. I looked back to see that Jack was licking his wounds, and Jo had a smile on her face.

"Jack maybe man, but he's more of a tool. Don't let him bully you." Jo said as she as getting into the car.

"Believe me when I tell you that I'm more outdated than Hurley." I said.

Jo was stupefied by my admission, but didn't get to respond because I was already getting out of the car. Both of us stare each other down, and then I start to make my way over to him. "So you're the new guy?" Jack asked.

"I was just passing through L.A. when our associate came looking for me." I said.

"I've seen dozens of people like you. They've all come and gone. Some succeeded, but a lot have died. What makes you think you can make it through my selection process?" he asked.

"I'm not like all those other men, and women that have come before me. I've seen and done things that would make people blush. I've seen thing far beyond what you could have imagine, or believe. You have a ring?" I asked.

"Yeah." he said.

"My guess is if you and I go hand to hand you could probably figure out inside of twenty seconds if I have what it takes." I said, and when I finished speaking we were standing toe to toe. I was a good four and a half inches taller than him.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Your call." I said.

My guess is that Hurley wanted to step into the ring with me, but I can see it in his eyes that he thought against it. "Building on the end. Last door on the right is where you will be staying for the duration of the process. Be ready, and in the gym in twenty." Hurley said, and I went to put my gear away.

I had my gear unpacked and squared away in five, and within the next ten I was in the gym waiting for my first lesson, be it against Hurley or with the whole class that's up to him. When there was five minutes before the class began there were about fifteen other men who walked in the gym. Even though I outclassed these men in every aspect, I didn't want to antagonize Hurley any more than Jo already did. So I stood in the back of the crowd near the left side. Five minutes later Hurley came in, and read everybody the riot act. While he was doing that, I just found a spot on the wall and listened.

"Deeks! What are you looking at?" Hurley yelled at me.

"I've heard this all before, sir. Do you want me to do pushups, or sit-ups?" I asked with a straight face.

"Do you think this is a joke?" he asked.

"I've heard dozens of drill sergeants give this same exact speech, sir. And every time they finished it went one two ways: I did some kind of calisthenics, or a fight. If I was you I would choose the calisthenics because it's been a few years since I lost a fight." I said.

Jack, without think, reacted by punching me in the face. I shook the punch off, taking a few deep breathes. "May I have this dance?" I asked, and then grabbed Hurley by his collar and threw him onto the matt. Everybody took a step back, and watched as I made my way over to Hurley, like a predator stalking its prey. Jack was just getting to his knees when he looked up to see me standing over him.

"You should have made me do the calisthenics." I said.

I was jumping on Jack as I was pulling back my fist to punch him. For some strange reason this jumping and punch to the face took all of two seconds to happen, but it felt like it played out in slow motion. My punch missed Jack's jaw, and we got into a wrestling match. It was nasty because it was a one-sided match. I guess Jack didn't think it was necessary to take me seriously. By the end of the match I had taken Jack's back, but someone stepped in and attempted to save him. I quickly let go, and take his partner down in a leg lock. I realized that I was about to be jumped by multiple attackers, so I rolled out of the leg lock, and returned to my feet putting my back against the wall.

Jack got back to his feet, and was rubbing the spot on his face where I hit him. "Round two?" I asked.

One of the instructor's shook their head, but Jack came at me one last time. Instead of making his humiliation complete, I kicked Jack in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. The second in command stepped in and pulled the plug on the brawl. I had minimal damage, a few scuff marks, but the others looked worse than I did. Hurley and a few of the other trainees went to the infirmary, while another instructor got us back on course. Oddly enough I didn't see Hurley for a week after that, but it didn't matter because I was top trainee the entire time.

There was one trainee that was bit of an outlier. Nothing about him said that he would make a good field agent. He was breaking ground rules left and right, and the other instructor's let it fly like it was no big deal. The man's name was Stan, and he was too brash to be a trainee. The only rule was that the face and groin was off limits. But for some reason Stan was on the mat wrestling and as usual he was losing. He broke the rules by broking the trainee's nose. The rest of us were pissed off because Stan broke the rules, and as usual the other instructors let it slide. The following day both Stan and I were on the matt, and I decided to play with Stan. I was toying with Stan waiting for an opening. One of two things was going to happen: Stan was going to leave an opening, or he was going to get so mad that he would make an opening for me. And like clockwork Stan got so mad that he made an opening for me.

I was able to take his back, and messed his day up. I caught Stan in a rear naked choke, and held tightly. Stan tried to fight his out, but all he did was flail around like a limp fish. Stan was about to tap out, but he passed out before he could. The instructors were extremely pissed that I force Stan to pass out. The doctor was called in to check on the Stan, and to make sure there wasn't any damage. I was pulled into one of the admin offices. Somewhere during that process I heard a threat about being kicked out of the training. A few minutes later the doctor, Sara Hunter, came in and was silent at first. Sara Hunter looked exactly like Lara, which was a bit disturbing.

"Why the trainers are mad is beyond me." I said

"You failed to back off when Stan was trying to tap out." Sara said.

"I didn't feel it, not once. Stan has been breaking the rules constantly. Just yesterday Stan was losing in the ring, and then he broke his opponent's nose. If you're supposed to be training to people to blend in with the surrounding environment, you dropped the ball with Stan." I said.

The doctor gave me a sideways glance. "How so?" she asked

"Stan is an outlier. He is too brash to actually be in this training process. My guess is he's a trainer to trick the trainees into doing something stupid. And let's be realistic, in the real world there is no tapping out. Not only was I doing what I was trained to do, I was threaten by the second in command." I asked.

"You weren't threaten." she said.

"The second in command said that I should be kicked out of the program because I made Stan go unconscious. I'd say that is a threat." I said.

Sara stared at me for a few moments, taking in what I said, and then excused herself. An hour later she came back with lunch and left again. Four hours after I had been pulled out of the gym, someone came to get me and told me to go back to training.

The training lasted for six months, and while I had seen Jack after our gym brawl, I didn't interact with him. One particular training session had the trainees take down ten terrorist on sidewalk café area. Five were dressed in terrorist uniform, and five were dressed in civilian clothes. While the group was able to find the five terrorists that were in uniform, they didn't have my skill at discerning combatant from non-combatant. We had ten minutes to find and neutralize the ten tangos, and while it would be easy to pick the low hanging fruit, I'm going to take out the hidden ones. Up in the control room the people were having a field day.

"Anybody got a line on Deeks?" Jack asked.

"We haven't seen him since the op started." one of the other instructors said.

"That's impossible! This man is in his mid-thirties. There is no way he knows how to hide in plain sight." Jack said.

"The main force is about to go hot." Sara said.

About thirty seconds later there was a full-fledge fire fight around the back from the café, but what was strange was that the five terrorists that were in plain clothes didn't move from their position. "What's going on here?" Jack asked.

"Zoom in on this man right here." Sara said pointing to a man on the screen that hasn't reacted. It took Sara a moment to realize why he wasn't moving. "What weapon did Deeks take?"

"He took a training knife." the camera operator said.

Sara point at the man's chest, and then looked back Jack. She was point to a small point on the man's chest. "Is that paint?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. That's paint." Jack's second said.

"Look for paint on the other five instructors." Jack said

Another camera operator check the other four, and sure enough they all had red paint on their chest. Jack turn to Sara with a stupefied look on his face. "Where did they dig this guy up at?" Stan asked.

"Don't look at me. I wasn't read into Deeks file." Sara said, when everybody in the room looked at her.

"I have to make a phone call." Jack said, and then exited the room. He didn't get far because I was standing right outside the door. "What's next?" I asked.

Jack was visibly startled by me waiting outside the door. "I have to make a phone call. Get back with the rest of the group." Jack said.

After we returned our gear, the instructors took us on a three mile run in the woods, but when Jack got into his office his phone was ringing. "Hello?" Jack answered.

" _How are the recruits?_ " Link asked.

"Is Loretta on the line?" Jack asked.

" _Here?_ " Loretta said.

"The recruits are fine, but Deeks is anomaly. This man's training is far beyond what his file said. Where did you find him?" Jack asked.

" _Why?_ " Loretta asked.

"We just put the recruits through the café scenario, and Deeks became a ghost. Didn't see him until I came to call you." Jack said.

" _The short answer is it's above your paygrade. The slightly longer but still short answer is he was recommend._ " Max said.

" _You said that Deeks became ghost._ " Link said.

"Yeah." Jack said.

" _Explain._ " Loretta said.

"We cut the trainees loose in the café scenario—" Jack begun, but was cut off by Loretta.

" _What is the café scenario?_ " Loretta asked.

" _There are ten terrorist that the trainees have to neutralize. Five in uniform, and five in plain clothes. In one of the buildings they built an open air café, with tables, chairs. The whole nine yards._ " Max said.

" _Oh, continue._ " Loretta said.

"Well as soon as we started the timer, the bulk of the trainees went to find the five terrorist that were in uniform, but Deeks had disappeared into the crowd and neutralized the five terrorist that were in plain clothes." Jack said.

There was a moment of silence. The fact that I was able to pull of what I did without any formal train, or at least what they considered formal training, was not lost on Link and Max. " _How long did it take for him to neutralize the plain clothes?_ " Max asked.

"It took the main force about three minutes to find the uniformed targets. By the time the fire-fight kicked off, the plain clothes were already neutralized." Jack said.

There was another moment of silence. " _How much longer until the process is finished?_ " Max asked.

"Two weeks from today." Jack said.

" _What's your assessment of the recruits?_ " Link asked.

"I want to test Deeks abilities in the real world. I want to see how well he can blend in with society." Jack said.

" _Give the rest of the recruits the standard test. Activate Phantom Protocol._ " Max said.

"You got it." Jack said, and then hung up the phone."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Langley, Virginia-

"What is Phantom Protocol?" Loretta asked.

"It's a protocol we have reserved for top tier recruits." Link said.

"Okay, but what are the purpose of this protocol?" Loretta asked.

"Phantom Protocol is activated when we have a recruit that has excelled during the training. They're purpose is to go deep into enemy territory, and kill high value targets that are deemed impossible to kill." Max said.

"Or do any of the jobs that are deemed impossible." Link corrected.

"I'm guessing both Hetty and Deeks have been green lighted for Phantom Protocol?" Loretta asked.

Neither of her superiors said anything, but Link nodded his head. "How did we find Hetty and Deeks?" Loretta asked.

"Hetty had been doing some work for the president—" Link began but Loretta cut him off.

"Hetty was in the services of Harry S. Truman?" Loretta squeaked.

"Yes, and he like the work she had been doing. President Truman had knowledge of the creation of our company, so he sent Hetty over to help us out." Link continued.

"What's Hetty's code name?" Loretta asked.

"Doesn't have one." Max said.

"Hmm." Loretta said, and then dismissed herself.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

New York City, two weeks later-

I was stepping out of a dark sedan, at three o'clock in the morning into an abandoned parking lot. Jack's instructions were to cross three city blocks, neutralize a target, and get out without being seen by any law enforcement agency. If I knew any better, Link and Max were inform about my performance in the café training sim and told Jack to test my skills like this. As the sedan was pulling away I disappear into the shadows. I took account of the nearby surrounds. It's the middle of summer, but it was still kind of chilly. I begin to make my way through the city to the target's location. I also remembered that I was up against a ticking clock. They said that the target was going to be leaving in three hours.

I make my way up to the building in question to get a good idea of what I'm dealing with, but a crowd of people had gathered around me. I moved with the crowd, and walked right in the front door. The men were men standing in the lobby that stood out. From a quick assessment they're with were my target. As we were walking through the lobby I took account of the floor. I noticed a stairway heading to a lower floor, and another one heading up. My guess is that the stairway heading down either led to the basement, or an underground parking garage. _That is going to be my way out._ I think as I see a sign that read underground parking lot.

The information said that the target was going to be in one of two places: third floor next to the elevator, or first floor all the way in the back. I make my way to the location on the first floor when I hear a conversation in Russian. The part that let me know that I was on the right track was that the person on the third floor gave a sitrep of all clear, and that the decoy was working.

 _Does Jack have another team on this?_ I thought to myself questioning the validity of what was going on here. I duck back behind a corner and listen a little bit longer. When the door on the end opened and one of the men was told to get an item, I realized that the room on the third floor was a legitimate decoy. I'm not sure what is going on with the possibility of a second team, but I know that I have to eliminate the target and get out before I'm spotted. One of the bodyguards was walking my way. I wait for him to turn the corner, and then neutralized him. I knocked him out with a rear naked chock after collapsing the knee so he couldn't use his weight against me, he had a muscular frame after all. There just so happened to be a supply closet next to us, so I dumped the body in there. After I knocked the other guard out, I knocked on the door.

The person to open the door was a woman, and I could see my target behind her. I quickly sucker punched the woman, and then charged the target. I drew one of my kukris and slight his throat, while my hand had cover his mouth. After he feel silent, I shut the door and changed my shirt. The replacement was a bit big, but I was able to make do. At that moment one of the men upstairs came over the radio telling them that there had been an incident, which was my que to leave.

I took this moment to head to the stairwell, but I only made it to the supply closet that I dumped the first guard in when I saw three people come from down stairs: two men and a woman. I continued walking to the stairs while the trio ran past me. I made my way down the stairs and halfway across the parking lot when I heard footsteps coming down the stairwell. I hid in the corner, and wait for this to pass. I could hear them talking in Russian, and the woman was the leader. Something about not wanting to let me escape because they would they would be killed when the next leader took over.

 _Wait a minute? Did Jack send me on a mission to take out a Russian crime boss?_ I think.

Next thing I hear is the another group of footsteps, a big one from the sounds of it, coming down the stairs. "Freeze! Federal Agents!" One of the men in the new group shouted.

I took this opportunity to sneak out the exit, but I creep over to the opposite side entrance ramp, under the cover of darkness, as to not expose myself to the new group of people. I did hear what company this new group belonged to. The F.B.I., a group I would have to ask about when I get back. I make my way to the location where the black sedans would be waiting for me, and there were two cars waiting. Something about this situation had sent a warning vibe through me. I hadn't been spotted by the driver, so I fell back to the secondary extraction point. Which was on the outskirts of the city. It took me about an hour to get to the second location, but when I arrived I saw Jack leaning on the side of a car.

"Jack." one of the instructors said when they saw me.

"Impressive! You cleared the site, and made it to the extraction site in less than two hours. Link and Max will be pleased." Jack said.

"Impressive? You sent me into an active op with a Russian crime boss and his security detail, without telling me that a unit from the F.B.I. that was preparing to move on him. Tell me how that was impressive?" I asked.

"Max told me that the F.B.I. was on the scene, but I knew that you would be able to neutralize the target and get out before they become a problem." Jack said.

"Jack! Stop antagonizing the man!" Loretta said stepping out of the car.

I wasn't in the mood to see Jo, but if I had to guess the training op was out of her hands, too. Jack got into the car he was leaning against, and I walked over to the car that had Jo in it. I opened the door, got in and shut it behind me.

"For the record I was not on board with this exercise." Jo said as she sat down and shut the door. Jo pounded on the door, and the driver put the vehicle in gear, and drove away from the empty parking lot.

"Are your superiors happy?" I asked.

"Hetty cleared the course in the same time you did, so yeah. Both you and Hetty were put through an exercise called _Phantom Protocol_." she said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Phantom Protocol is for any top tier agents that can complete any mission, even ones that are deemed impossible." Jo said.

"So both me and Hetty are going to be hanging out in the Europe and Middle East?" I asked.

"Yep. You have completed the training. I was sent to collect you and bring you to Langley." Jo said.

"I'll pack my gear as soon as we get back." I said.

Jo nodded her head, and then we each looked out a window. It took us an hour to get back to the training site. I took all of twenty minutes to get a shower, pack my gear, and head back out to the car. When I got in car again Jack was sitting next to Jo. "What's up?" I asked.

"Jack has been given the green light to return to field duty." Jo said.

"The big guys at the top of the food chained want answers about the Russian crime boss. They also want to know who's going to be your handler." Jack said.

"That won't be necessary. Having a handler would slow me down." I said.

"It's part of the chain of command. You might not like it, but you are going to need a handler because they will be able to give you the necessary information and gear to complete any job." she said.

"Alright." I said shrugging my shoulders.

I had to listen to Jack and Jo discuss possible deployments for myself, Jack, and the other trainees. The trip from the training site to the airport was a boring three hour drive, and it was only made worse by having to listening to Jo and Jack talk. So I fell asleep. When we got to the airport Jo woke me up. We went through the airport, skipping security, and then boarded the plane. I was falling asleep when the plane was lifting off the run way.


	15. Chapter 15

I woke up when the plane touch down in Virginia. It took me a moment to get my bearings, but the first thing I noticed was how pale Jo looked.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"The skies were rough flying down from New York. To be honest, I'm just as surprised that you were able to sleep through all of it. Half the flight was through turbulent weather." Jack said.

"I've flown, and sailed through rougher elements. So it doesn't affect me." I said. To Jo and say. "Drink a clear soda."

Jo looked at me momentarily, and then went to get a soda. Jack and I exited the plane, and stood on the tarmac waiting for Jo to come back. There were two sedans twenty feet away from the plane, but we were just standing there, waiting. "What are we waiting for?" I asked.

"That's not our ride." Jack said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"That is." Jack said pointing to a vehicle that was pulling onto the tarmac.

I noticed the vehicle, but I also sensed that someone was exiting the plane. I look really quickly to see Jo halfway down the stairs, and she looked better. "Where's the welcoming committee?" I asked.

"Those two cars are Link and Max's. That van approaching is bringing more of our operatives." Jo said.

"This is your first official day on the job. You will receive you mission documents, and then board a plane." Max said as he was getting out of his car and joining us. Link had followed suit and joined the group. I was shaking hands with Link and Max when I had the greatest surprise of all. "It's been awhile Mr. Deeks."

I turned to see Hetty exiting the van followed by two men, and two woman. "A while indeed." I said.

Link and Max took turns briefing the seven of us as Jo handed out our individual mission dossiers. I looked at the other six dossier, except for Hetty's, mine was the thickest of the seven. I'm not looking forward to being involved in the Phantom Protocol. The missions are insanely dangerous. But somehow after four thousand years I still find myself in dangerous situations, time and time again. As a matter a fact, I've done some of my best work in some of the most dangerous environments. I flipped through the dossier as Link was going the bare bones of the folders. After Link finished talking, Max stepped in saying, "You have one hour to get a good look at your dossier. After that your mission begins."

While everybody else was looking through their dossiers, Hetty pulled me aside. "I spent the last five years building up supplies, and property. One in every major city. Look for this symbol, use this key, and you will have access." she said. One look at the symbol and I realized that it was the same symbol I saw on the wall back in London, England when I was chasing Jack.

One look at the key and I can tell this technology is beyond that of this world. "Is this from the technology of our people?" I asked.

"Yes." she said.

"Well at least we know the supplies won't be disturbed." I said.

"They won't." Hetty said, and then returned to her dossier.

I notice that there were some targets in the Middle East, but most of my targets were in Russia. But all of my targets have gone to ground, or the active operations haven't begun yet, so I have some free time at the moment. One picture got my attention. I showed it to Hetty to get an explanations. "I sent him after and an arms dealer, and it went south. The C.I.A. wants him brought in for questioning if possible." she said.

"You think it might be time for him to move on?" I asked.

"He is seven thousand six hundred years old. I would say yes." Hetty said, and then fell silent.

My mouth hit the tarmac. I look at the picture and realize that my old friend, Ray, is three thousand years older than me, or according to Hetty at least. _That would explain why he was always missing his family. A lot of women were hitting on him, but it wasn't the same._ I think. I look at my watch and see that the hour mark is closing in on us, but Max decides to finish the briefing early.

"Hetty and Deeks will head to H.Q. for further briefing, while the rest of you will get on a plane and head to your first target or op." Max said.

Hetty and I got into the car with Jo, while Link and Max got in the other car, and then the two cars left the tarmac. "How did you meet Deeks, if you don't mind me asking?" Jo asked

"Deeks was picked by a friend ours, on the brink of death, and was brought him back to our settlement." Hetty said.

"You had a settlement?" Jo asked.

"Yes. I was gathering people of note." Hetty said.

"What are their names?" Jo asked.

"These people are all dead, Jo." I said.

"Jo?" Hetty asked.

"After that girl we knew in London." I said.

"Ah. I see the resemblance." Hetty said. "Most we killed years ago."

"Oh. I thought we could recruit them to our cause." Jo said.

"They were a fickle bunch Miss Jones, so most of them would not have joined." Hetty said.

"Well it was worth a shot." Jo said.

"Not so much, but if you say so. Of all the people are left from that settlement, we are you best option." I said, and Hetty nodded her agreement.

Hetty and Jo discuss the coming assignments, while I nod off. I could never be bothered to listen to small talk about assignments.

"Why does he fall asleep when someone talks shop?" Jo asked.

"Mr. Deeks only listens when it's necessary. We aren't talking about anything of substances, so he excuses himself from the conversation." Hetty said shaking her head.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

C.I.A. Headquarters-

I was waking up when the car pulled into the underground parking lot at H.Q., and I wasn't really impressed by what I saw. I kept that assessment to myself, and let Hetty do all the talking. I felt out of my element being at C.I.A. H.Q., and it was really bothersome. Hetty and I were guest at H.Q. for another six months. At least Hetty was here for six more months. She was sent to Lebanon, while I was still stuck stateside. I didn't realize what was happening at first, but the C.I.A. was using my deadly sixth sense to take out targets. They would find a target, and I would give them possible sites they could be hiding in. Most of the time the targets were captured the first try. Other times it would be the second location that I suggested. And sometimes the target would go down in a hail of bullets.

This went on for four years. There was one particular target that was giving the team trouble, but Hetty wasn't available. I was finally getting my first field assignment, and strangely enough it was the first person in my dossier. Which is completely odd that they had been following this guy long before Hetty and I had come on the scene, but that is a conversation for another time.

"Congratulations Martin!" Director Kennedy said.

"I'm finally going out into the field?" I asked.

"Yes, and you're going to be globetrotting for the foreseeable future." he said.

"Just point me in the right direction." I said.

"Grab your gear. The plane leaves in forty minutes." Kennedy said.

"With pleasure." I said, and then exited MTAC.

I head to armory to grab some supplies and my kukris, and then head to the parking garage. While I was in the armory, there were three men that watched me grab my supplies. "Who grabs a machete instead of a gun?" one asked.

"A person who knows that a gun will attract unnecessary attention." Jo said.

"Miss Jones." the men said, and then Jo left the armory.

I was hopping in company car, when I was informed that Loretta wanted to speak with me. I got out of the car when Jo was entering the parking garage. "Make it fast the plane is leaving soon." I said.

"The big guys upstairs want the target terminated." she said.

"How much information does he have?" I asked.

"Check you dossier." she said.

"I'll get in touch with you when I have the target secured in our safe house." I said.

"Good luck, and good hunting." Jo said.

"You got it." I said, and then got back into the car.

The car drove me to the airport, and onto the tarmac. _I guess being in the services of a high profile company has its perks._ I think as I'm stepping out onto, and made my way over to the plane. I stop momentarily to check out the scene. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and boarded the plane. What I was not expecting was a phone call on the private line when I got situated.

"Hello." I said answering the phone.

" _Deeks, It's Jack. Loretta has informed me of your mission. I agree with the call to execute the target. We can't leave someone as dangerous as him alive._ " Jack said.

"Even though the man has intel that could help change the climate in the region?" I asked.

" _I'm giving you an order. And that is to execute Jung Han._ " Jack said, and then hung up.

I sighed, and hung up the phone. I wasn't happy about the fact that I had people telling me how to do my job, but I'm going to do what I do best. While I was waiting, I practiced my Korean. I spent the past four years learning Korean, Vietnamese, another Chinese dialect, Farsi, Pashto, and a few other languages spoken in the Middle East. My trainers were surprised that I learned those languages in record time, but I didn't tell them all the languages and dialects that I already know.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Pyongyang, North Korea, two days later-

I was going through the information that I had already had on Jung Han. Not only was he on the C.I.A.'s watch list, but he was also on Hetty's list that she forwarded to me last month.

Night had fallen when I caught up Jung, but something had manage to spook him, and I had to chase them for about two blocks. I was beginning to realize that Jung's physical features were smaller than first projected. When I caught up to them, they put up a fight, which was one sided and over as quickly as it started. I pulled the hood off of Jung, and saw that Jung was actually a woman and not a man. I quickly covered Jung's face, and made my way back to the safe house. How Hetty was able to get into North Korea and secure a place for us is beyond me, but I don't bother to think on it.

I find a chair and secure Jung to it. She was about four feet ten inches tall, soft skin with a yellow hue, amber eyes, jet black hair, and an athletic frame. I'm kind of taken back by how tall Jung is. Most of the women in her culture are still seven inches shorter than her. Then I'm beginning to wonder if being a government agent has anything to do with her disproportionate size, but I didn't get time to explore that thought because Jung was waking up.

"Do you speak English?" I asked.

Jung Han didn't answer. I watched as she continued to regain consciousness. "Do you speak English?" I asked again, and this time Jung answered me. "I'm not going to talk. You will have to kill me." she said in Korean.

"You already going to die, so you may as will make it worth my while." I said, but in Korean.

Jung's face had become a pale yellow after the blood had drained from her face. "More importantly, tell me who else has information connected to Sun fire." I said.

Jung took her time to think on what do next. I decide give her an incentive to talk. "Nobody is coming to save you. And this house is secured by technology from beyond this world." I said.

I decide to wait Jung out for a time because she is going to die no matter what, but if I can get information out of her I would be doing well. It was only ten minutes when I saw Jung Han break something in her mouth, and then she started to wretch.

"Ah, a suicide pill. Here's the thing about those. They aren't fast acting, and they won't kill you. I've been sent to kill you, and collect any information necessary. So you can tell me now and I can put you out of your misery. Or you can sit there in pain and agony and wishing that you could be killed, but can't—"

"All right, I'll talk just don't make me go through this pain any longer." Jung said painfully. "Pyongyang Station has three set of lockers. The third set, which on the far side of the station, locker three zero nine."

Jung handed me a key, and I returned the favor by cutting her head off. I felt the electric shock of the Quickening. While I was riding out the power transfer out, I was sick to my stomach at the fact that I was willing to let Jung to suffer just to get the necessary information. The fact that the game has changed makes me miss the old days. It takes me a few moments to get my bearings, and then I get up and moving. I remember Hetty telling me that if there was a cleanup needed to call a number, and tell the person on the other end where the mess is at. I make the phone call, and then exited the house.

It takes me twenty minutes to get to the station, and I'm trying to stay out of the public eye because a six foot one inch tall man in the land of four foot tall people is not helping my chances of being spotted. It has been four hour since I touched down in North Korea. I get into the station, and to my discomfort there was nobody in the station. I look for anything that could make my stand out.

Any kind of surveillance that would alert the authorities, but nothing stands out. There were very few people, and if the wrong person spots me it would cause the same problem. I make my way to the back of the station to the last set of lockers. I find the locker, open it, pull out the folder, and then shut the locker and leave. I'm out of the train station as quickly as I entered, but it seems that I drew some attention. I was half way across the square by the time the authorities exited the station. I realize why Hetty and I were selected for Phantom Protocol. I exited the square and turned and to look at my pursuers. I noticed that the crowd had filled the square to gills.

I make my way out of city, and boarded a plan to a country that is friendly to the United States. I get off the plane, and meet Jo in the closes café.

"What happen to Jung?" she asked when I sat down next to her.

"Jung elected to kill herself. Although it failed, and I had to kill her. Not before I was able to retrieve this information." I said passing the manila envelope to Jo.

I could see the look of disapproval on Jo's face, but when she looked at the information that I had secured Jo went white as a sheet. "I'll have to get back to you. Head to the nearest safe house and wait for further instructions." Jo said, and got up and left.

I'm left sitting at the café, dumbfounded by the recent turn of events. I head to Hetty's safe house first to see if she has any targets, but it she didn't leave anything. I head to the C.I.A. house, and await further instructions. I was there all of two days before I receive my next set of orders, and I'm to head to American Embassy in South Korea for the duration of the war. The only rub was that I was going in as Dale John Sully, and I was a private contractor pulling security detail.

I get on the next plane to South Korea, where I'm met by a person from the American Embassy. I get out of the car in the underground parking garage, and from there I'm led to a private office on the second floor.

"Mr. Sully, from what I can tell you have an impressive résumé." the ambassador's aide said looking over my dossier. "The only question is why should we place you in our security detail?"

"That's a question for the ambassador. I was given orders by my company to come here and assist with the security." I said.

"That doesn't answer my question. We have round the clock security. Nothing gets in, or out of this building without authorization." The aide continued.

"That's a very reassuring assessment, but that means nothing to me. The security is very lax, and, if given the proper paperwork, anybody can get in the front door." I said.

At that moment, the door bust open and two North Korean agents stormed the room. The security advisory was killed, but I was able to kill the agents.

"You sure that your security is top notch?" I asked.

"Yes, and no," another man said.

"Ah. So this you're the ambassador. Are you sure that you want to turn down the help now that your security advisor is dead?" I asked.

"Yes, Mr. Sully, we will accept your help." the ambassador said.


	16. Part II

It takes the ambassador and myself and hour to put the building back together after the attack, and another day for me to get the security up to speed. The North has tried to storm the embassy at least two other times since I joined the security detail, but it never made past the front door. After the last attempt, the North decided to throw all its efforts back into the war effort. Supposedly there was a rumor that nuclear intervention was going to be used to level the battle field, but it never happened. A few years later, when the two sides of the country signed the armistice to end the war, Jo came to see me at the embassy.

"What's the word?" I asked.

"Pack your bags. You're heading to Lebanon to work as an independent contractor. This particular time you will be brokering a deal between two arms dealers." Jo said.

"The names in my dossier?" I asked.

"These guys aren't in there. We want them alive, so we can follow them to their base of operations or to their bosses. After that I will tell you where to go next." Jo said, handing me two dossiers.

I rounded up my bags, and then took a cab to the airport. On my way to the airport I got acquainted with my targets, and the location of the meeting. The location for the meeting is in downtown Beirut at some outdoor café. For some reason I'm reminded of the training sim six years ago. From what Jo told me that my presence at this meeting would be me just being there, making sure everybody gets out alive. Then again, being a Phantom operative, I don't exist, and there could be another group of people moving in to bust the arms dealers. I decide to get in touch with Hetty and see if she has heard of any foot traffic in the area besides arms dealers and terrorists.

The meet is in two days, and I arrive in Beirut to get a lay of the land, and check to see if Hetty has any targets. I see that Hetty left no messages, either immortal targets or other C.I.A. ops in the region, and then I head to the C.I.A. safe house. I head to the location in question, but I keep to the shadows. Who knows what those arms dealers have up their sleeves. The day of the meeting comes, and I'm one table away from the arms dealers. I noticed at least one body guard from each group that had been checking the area for any outliers. I listen to the two men speak without looking up from the newspaper in front of me.

"Who are you?" one of the men asked.

"Who I am is no concern to you. I was told I would meet somebody here to handle a business deal." another man said.

"Easy gentlemen. There is no need to get all uncivilized." I said, still looking at the newspaper.

"Who are you?" the two men asked.

"My name is of no concern of yours, either. What I do know is that the two of you have a mutual business deal that you want to resolve, and I'm here to make sure it is composed in a civilized manner." I said, closing the newspaper and joining the men at their table.

"How long have you been here?" the man on the left side of the table asked.

"Long enough." I said.

"Enough for what?" the man on the right asked.

"Enough to recognize at least one associate from both of your groups." I said.

"He arrived here three days ago, and you had to arrive within the last twelve hours." the man on the right.

"You run this city, so that is why you would be able to spot anybody coming." I said.

"Yet he missed you, why?" the man on the left asked.

"Why concerning yourselves with the inconsequential. I'm here to do business, and to make sure your two groups don't kill each other, and the civilians nearby." I said.

"Before we get down to business, how did I miss you?" the man on the right asked.

"You were looking for a different person." I said.

The meeting went off without a hitch, and I was in and out of the Middle East for the next thirty years without any problems. It was in the late sixties that I ran into Ray in England, killing both him and Nelson Sanders.

During the thirty years I was in the field for the C.I.A., most of which I was working with Anton Sidorov brokering arms deals, I had earned the nickname "Phantom" because I was causing problems for the communist regime and they couldn't exact their vengeance against me. I found myself back in Beirut to do another business deal with the one of the arms dealers from the fifties.

"When is your man going to be here?" a man asked.

"Don't worry about my man. He'll show up soon enough." Anton Sidorov said.

"I have to be on a plane in an hour to keeping a meeting with—" the man began but was cut off.

"It seems that everybody is here, shall we get started?" I asked as I joined the table.

"Phantom, so nice of you to join us." Anton said.

The other man became as white as a sheet. It seems that my reputation has preceded me. _At least the part about being able to hide in plain sight._ I think.

The meeting went quickly, and the three of us were on our way. I got on the wire back to Langley to get a dossier of Sidorov, especially his family. I noticed he had a wife and three kids: Isaak, Damayanti, and Naeva. I asked to get a known location on the boy, but I had to get to a secure location before that information could be given to me. I made my way to London, England and met the operative in charge to get the necessary information. Technically, I didn't meet the operative that was stationed in the city. I found a dossier waiting for me when I arrived at the safe house. I didn't get to read the dossier because there was a hit squad that had bust down the door.

I reacted quickly, and took out the six man squad. I grabbed the dossier, and exited out the back. I called in a cleanup, and was on the first plane out of London two hours after I showed up. Three days later I was sitting in a coms room in the Russian Embassy in Paris, France when I caught wind of a secret project that was being run in America, but it hasn't reached it conclusion yet. There were anywhere between four, or five, families that were being sent to America with nuclear weapons. I wasn't able to verify the exact number, it could have been more than five, or where their final destinations were because I saw on the embassy security system that an armed escort was heading my way. I hid in the corner by the door, and waited for the group to enter. When they entered, I exited when they weren't looking. I had made my way out onto the street and got lost in the crowd before security had exited the embassy. I was two blocks away from the embassy when I felt that something was wrong.

I got off the street, heading down a secluded alley. I felt the bullet enter my body, piercing a lung as I stepped out of view. I had to find a safe place to die, so my body would not be found by another countries government agent. And as luck would have it, or Hetty's prudent planning, I was two blocks from her house. I pulled out the card as I started coughing up blood. I was able to keep most of my blood from spilling out onto the street before I approached the house. As I shut the door behind me, my would be assassin had come running around the corner. I didn't look out the window to see who had tried to kill me, I was more worried about getting blood on Hetty's expensive carpet. I knew that if I had spilled blood on her carpet, there would be no safe place for me to hide.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

One month later-

I was at an outdoor café in downtown Washington D.C., the place I was told to meet with Jo so I could tell her about the development I learned in Paris.

"What was so important that we had to meet in person?" Jo asked.

I had looked around to make sure there weren't any outliers. "What do we know about the Russian's plans against the American nuclear armament?" I asked.

"Not much as of right now, why?" she asked.

"About a month ago, I was in the Russian Embassy in Paris when I overheard conversation about five families, agents, or more I didn't get the exact number, coming to America. And all the parties would have a nuclear weapon coming with them." I said.

"Were you able to find the finally locations?" she asked.

"No. before I could get the anymore information I had to leave the embassy. Have you heard about any new assassins in the Russian ranks?" I asked.

"There has been quite of few. You want to be more specific?" she asked.

"I got winged by a sniper last month, and I have been off the grid ever since." I said.

"Well, word is there is a new assassin going around who has been trying to catch up to you and Hetty. Though she has never been able to catch up to either of you." she said.

"Send me the necessary information on the target." I said.

"You might want to be careful." She said.

"Why?" I asked.

"The person you are chasing been trained by the KGB for the past twenty years. She has never missed a target, and has always completed a mission." she said.

"Name: be it a code name, or real." I said.

"Her code name is Sparrow, and she has been trained to use anything and everything as a weapon, her body included. Her real name is Natalya Dragomirov." she said, sliding me a dossier.

"Do we have a last known?" I asked.

"We had been tracking her for some time. All we can tell is that she is going to be in Russia in two days' time." she said.

"Do we have a picture of her?" I asked, noticing there was no picture.

"No. If you can get one that would be great." she said.

"I'll be back when I have a picture." I said, standing up from the table.

"Please come back in one piece." Jo said.

I gave Jo a thumbs up, and then made my way to the airport. I caught a flight out of Dulles for Moscow. I look over the dossier. When I touched down in Moscow, I got through customs without a problem. I got to a safe house, and got a new identity. A one, General Vadik Petrenko. I was a spitting image of the man except for my beard, so I quickly shaved it off, and then put Petrenko's uniform on. I sedated the general, which gave me about twelve hours to find the file on Dragomirov. I walked right into the Kremlin without a backwards glance. I jumped through all the necessary hoops, and then I was in records. It takes me a few minutes to find the necessary file, and when I do the picture I find is out dated. I put the file back, and then exit the records room.

As I was exiting the room I saw small group of generals walking my way, and trailing them was a woman whose frame looked familiar.

"General Petrenko. Follow us. We have to brief Miss Dragomirov for her next mission." another general said to me. I looked at the woman, and almost freaked. Natalya is a dead ringer for my wife. I fall in line with the rest of the group keeping stride with Natalya.

"What's the good word General Petrenko?" she asked.

"The American dogs are still trying to infiltrate the Kremlin to learn the identity of any and all KGB operatives." I said, seeing if she would bite.

"Our security is top notch. They won't succeed." she said.

"Just be ready." I said.

"I killed an American spy last month, but I wasn't able to recover the body." She said.

 _Oh really._ I think. "Good. One less spy to attempt an infiltration. That will teach other governments to pay us a wide berth."

Natalya give me a huge grin, and then kissed me. I close my eyes, but I was in shock. My Russian doppelganger was in love with my wife's doppelganger. After we broke the kiss we went into the meeting, and I was able to learn more about that program that was sending people to America. I didn't get identities, but I was able to learn how many families were sent to America. Seven families, or agents. The meeting lasted three hours, and then we left to attend to our duties. I was able to slip away and return Petrenko's uniform. I got a camera, and went to find a spot where I might be able to spy on Natalya.

I was in luck because I found her in Kremlin square having an afternoon cup of coffee with a colleague. I got the picture, without her spotting me, and then got out of the country. Three days later I had a layover in Prague, so I decided to go back through my files again, especially the one on Isaak. He was a rising star in the KGB, but with his father being an arms dealer, his superiors weren't happy about the arrangement. If I had to guess the falling out that Anton had with the KGB about a decade earlier had caused a pretty big rift in their ranks.

I got in touch with Anton and told him of the problem, but he didn't seem put off by it. I didn't push the subject, so I boarded a plane to Dulles airport to deliver the picture I took of Natalya to Jo. I found about a week after I landed stateside that Aton was executed in his own home, along with his wife and two daughters.

After I was cut loose, I flew overseas to pay my respects. I saw Isaak standing in the crowd, so I fell back to the wings. I looked up in the balcony, and saw a person up there. They didn't have a rifle, but if I had to guess, it was the Sparrow. I disappeared from the crowd, and made my way up into the balcony. I climbed the stairs slowly, knowing that this encounter is going to be nothing more than talking. I stepped out onto the balcony, Natalya had disappeared, but I sensed that an attack was coming, and I had a split second to pull my kukri. I parried the attack, and was face to face with Natalya.

"Hello Sparrow, or is it Natalya?" I asked, our blades still locked together

"Who are you?" she asked, the shock written all over her face.

"Who am I? I don't exist. But if you must know, I'm the man who has been plaguing your government for the past thirty years." I said.

"The Phantom!" she gasped.

"You got it." I said.

"I would be heralded a hero if I killed you." she quipped.

"That would be true, but then again, you already did." I said.

It took Natalya a few moments for her brain to register my admission, and then it sunk in. "That's impossible!"

"Not it isn't, and I don't have the time or feel the need to explain my condition to you." I said, pulling my kukri away from Natalya's Bowie knife.

It took Natalya thirty seconds before she put the knife away. "Where does that leave us?" she asked.

"I'd be careful if I was you. I know that—scratch that, we both know that Anton Sidorov's death was your doing. Even if the KGB handed down the order." I said, waving off Natalya's denial.

"Aton's assassination wasn't my doing. The KGB gave the order to me, and I refused. I know that you had history with Anton. I didn't want to invoke your wrath. Their second choice was Isaak, who had no problem doing the job." she said.

"I'm sorry. You want to say that again?" I asked.

"The KGB asked Isaak Sidorov to kill Anton Sidorov, and he did so without a second's hesitation." she said.

I look into Natalya's eyes and I can see real fear in them. I know that she is telling the truth. "Who knows that Isaak killed Aton? Besides us, and KGB command?" I asked, putting my kukri away.

"Nobody else." Natalya said.

"That's how it's going to stay. And if anybody finds out… well, I'll let you use your imagination." I said, heading for the stairway.

Two days later I'm entering C.I.A. headquarters in Langley to give an update about Anton Sidorov.

"What's so important that you came all the way back from Moscow to personally debrief the director?" Max asked.

"It's about who killed Anton Sidorov." I said.

The room fell silent. Anton was a dirty man, but he was also a man of principle. "Who killed him?" Director Kennedy asked.

"It was Isaak. Isaak Sidorov, Anton's own son, is the one who killed him." I said.

"Isaak Sidorov is a rising star in the KGB. He's untouchable." Link said.

"Isaak is an opportunist. Soon the Russian government will have no sway over him, and he will follow in the footsteps of his father." I said.

"Meaning what?" Kennedy asked.

"Meaning that he will in the service of the highest bidder." Jo said.

Kennedy, Max, Link and the rest of the command staff were talking logistics as Jo was pulling me into the hall. "Who told you that Isaak killed Anton?" Jo asked.

"Natalya." I said.

"The Sparrow just happened to be at the funeral of Anton Sidorov. And out of the goodness of her heart she decided to tell you that Isaak killed his own father." she whispered.

"The KGB offered the job to her, but she knew that I had a strong relationship with Aton." I whispered.

"Meaning what?" she asked.

"Meaning that if she had admitted to killing Aton, I would have killed her on the spot." I said.

"That's a bold statement." she said.

"Do you know what the people in Russia and the Middle East call me?" I asked.

"The Phantom." she said.

"Because no matter what happened, or what they threw at me, I always finish the job with minimal trouble or damage. Anton Sidorov was dirty, I won't deny that, but he was a trusted friend and confidant. That was the reason the C.I.A. wanted him alive and allowed to go free wasn't it?" I asked.

Jo didn't answer my question because she knew the answer. "This silence is your answer. Someday Isaak Sidorov won't be protected by the Russian government. And when that day comes, I will kill him myself." I said, and then walked away.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Ten years later: Washington D.C.-

Sometime during the mid-nineties, I got arrested during a routine arms deal. I was trying to get the attention of Isaak Sidorov, but I wind up getting the attention of another government organization completely.

"Dale John Sully, My name is N.C.I.S. Special Agent Mike Franks, and you have a long rap sheet." Agent Franks said entering interrogation.

 _N.C.I.S.? That's the group that Hetty supposedly works for._ I think.

"Before you get any further, my name is Martin Deeks, and I'm currently employed by the C.I.A." I said.

"I'll be right back." Mike said, and then exited the room.

Mike Franks was nobody special. He looked to about late thirties, maybe earlier forties, a mustache, average build, caucasian male who smelled like a smoker. It was ten minutes before he came back.

"You free to go Agent Deeks. Sorry about the mistake." Mike said.

"No problem, but do you think you could point me in the right direction to find a Hetty Lange?" I asked.

"I've heard of her. Let me get in touch with the director, and see what I can find out." Mike said, and then left.

As I was leaving, I left my business card with the receptionist. "Who's this for?" she asked.

"Can you give this to Agent Mike Franks? He's looking into a matter for me." I said.

"Yep." she said, and then I walked out.

I make my way to back to my back to headquarters, and give Jo an update on the debacle that I just suffered. As I was approaching Jo's office, I could see that she had company. The person was a female, who had a pale caucasian complexion, bright red hair that had blond streaks throughout, baby blue eyes, and petite frame. This woman is definitely a looker, but I know better than to get involved with a coworker.

"Ah, here comes one of our top agents. What's the word Deeks?" Jo asked.

"Not to dodge the question, but who's the new girl?" I asked.

"The name's Joelle Taylor." she said, standing up from her chair offering her hand.

"Martin Deeks. It's a pleasure." I said, shaking her hand.

"Deeks?" Joelle asked.

"Long story, and one for another time. Back to the question at hand. The arms deal was interrupted by N.C.I.S., but I didn't have break character." I said.

"N.C.I.S.?" Joelle asked.

"Another alphabet agency here on Capitol hill." I said, which elicited a snicker from Joelle.

"Was Isaak at the deal?" Jo asked, the irritation in her voice.

"This was meet was supposed to get me in the door. Whether he'll still see me is still up in the air." I said.

"I'll get on the wire to N.C.I.S., and see what they have." Jo said, and then picked up a phone.

Joelle and I left Jo alone to make the call in private. Joelle and I were walking back to the bullpen when she got pulled into a meeting with Link and Max. This gave me a moment to go down to records and look into Joelle Taylor. I don't like being blindsided like that. Pretty woman like her, especially in the C.I.A.; I will probably have to interact with her sometime down the line. I get to the records room, and greet the clerk. It takes me a moment to find Joelle's file because this room is all sorts of messed up. When I find the J drawer, I put gloves on. I don't want to leave a trail that I'm investigating one of my _own_ , which I use loosely because Joelle maybe C.I.A., but she isn't on my team. When I find Joelle's file, I open it on the spot. I look at for the name section, and I was shocked by what I read.

 _To protect the family that the agent comes from her given name will be redacted in all files, and the name Joelle Taylor is to be used on all pertinent documents in the future._ I skimmed the rest of the file because I didn't want to be caught reading this file. I flipped to the back page, and I realized why Joelle's name was changed. Joelle had a living relative that was sitting in Congress as a senator, and they're serving as we speak. Joelle's father is Senator Thomas Shepard.

 _So Joelle Taylor's real name is Jane Shepard._ I think as I put her file back, and leave the room.

 _A/N: I'm taking a liberty with Joelle's real name._


	17. LAPD Struggles

Five years later-

I had to bail Joelle out of nasty situation, and a secret that would follow us into the future. When she was able to fend for herself I left, heading back to Washington D.C.

"Where does this leave me in the grand scheme of things?" Joelle asked.

"You keep going, but try to keep your head down. You will attract a lot of unnecessary attention if you don't." I said, and then left.

On the plane ride back to D.C. I got a phone call from Mike Franks. "What do you have for me Mike?" I asked.

" _Your friend is overseas right now, stationed at an unknown location. Don't ask because it's above my paygrade. When you get back, get in touch with a man named Jack Stryker. He has information on an old associate of yours. I'm sending you his phone number._ " Mike said, and then hung up the phone.

Two days after landing state side I was at the same outdoor café that I met Jo at over a decade ago, but something about this meeting doesn't sit well with me. Not so much the person I'm meeting, this Jack Stryker, but the information that he is going to share with me. Something about this whole thing isn't copacetic.

"Martin Deeks." A male voice asked.

I looked up to see Jack standing in front of me. Nothing about Jack stands out, other than he was a caucasian man about five feet tall.

"Have a seat. You have information?" I asked.

"Yes. Yes, I do. Does this symbol look familiar?" Jack said, as he took a seat and showing me picture on a piece of paper.

"Yeah I have." I said, taking one look at the picture. It was that same sixteen spoked wheel I saw on the wall back in London in the 1890's. "What do you have?"

"This is a symbol of a secret group that has been around for hundreds of years, going by different names each time." he said.

"Thousands." I said.

"What?" he asked.

"This group has been around for thousands of years." I said.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"That's beside the point. What was so important that we had to meet?" I asked.

"This group has its hands into anything and everything, even mass genocide." he said.

I was listening intently, but I was also watching for any traps that could be sprung. When Jack mention mass genocide, he had my undivided attention. "Which ones?" I asked because I was privy to at least three different ones.

"They were responsible for the one in Bosnia a few years ago, and they were also responsible for Saddam Hussein's slaughter of the Kurds in the nineteen eighties. But what sticks out is who sold the weapons." he said, sliding me another picture. My fingers are trembling with rage when I see the picture. The picture was of a group of men, but one particular man stuck out: Aton Sidorov.

"What else do you know?" I asked sliding the picture back to Jack.

"The group has had many name changes, but it is currently going by the name Cypher. Not only that, they have planted agents in the C.I.A. to help grow their influence, and spread their cause." he said.

When he said that they had infiltrated the C.I.A., I knew my time with the agency was over. "This is my email address. Send me all relevant information on Cypher." I said, handing Jack a business card.

"Why should I do that?" he asked, taking my card.

"Forget about Cypher. Keeping this course will only get you killed." I said.

"You got it." Jack said, sticking my business card in his jacket pocket and left.

As I got up from the table, I pulled my phone out and called Mike Franks.

" _What do you need Deeks?_ " Mike asked.

"Jack had some damning information that I can't ignore. What does it take to join N.C.I.S.?" I asked.

" _Come to our headquarters, and we can work something out._ " Mike said, and then hung up the phone.

It took me a few hours to fill out the necessary paperwork to transfer from the C.I.A. to N.C.I.S., but when it was finished Mike said it would take a few months before it would go through. As it seemed that a few months turned into six year, but when I had got the phone call from Franks that application had been processed, I also needed to come in right away.

I was on the elevator up to the bull pen at the Naval Yard wondering what was so important that I had to come in right away. It seems that I wouldn't have to wait a much longer for an answer because as soon as I stepped off the elevator Mike was waiting to use the elevator.

"There you are. The director is in his M.T.A.C. getting an update from the C.I.A. director about a developing joint op. Also meet my partner Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but he just goes by Gibbs." Mike said.

Gibbs was a pretty straight forward guy, but the thing that caught my attention was that he was clean shaven and had the hair cut of a marine. And from the disapproving look on Gibbs face, he didn't appreciate my unkempt appearance. I kept my mouth shut because I didn't what to kick Gibbs' butt in his own house. But when I got to M.T.A.C. all that was said was that I was needed to get on a plane, and assist the C.I.A. in joint operation that didn't involve N.C.I.S., they only called was because I was an in with the group of arms dealers that were involved. So I turned around, and exited the building. As I was strapping myself in the backseat of a black sedan, I check to make sure my kukris were secured as my driver left the parking garage.

It seemed the C.I.A. didn't have any hurt feelings about my departure from the agency because they had one of their company planes waiting for me when I got to the airport. The engines we're warming up as I was climbing the stairs, and thirty seconds after the hatch was closed the plane was taxiing out onto the runway.

I was in Russia in two days' time meeting with the lead C.I.A. agent for the op. The man in charge was someone I saw in passing at headquarters a few times in the past, and nothing really stood out. Asian male, five feet tall and a muscular build. After a brief rundown of what was going to happen for the arms deal, I left to go meet the middle man.

It took us a few days to before the meet with the arms dealer, which turned out to be Isaak Sidorov. The meet was supposed to go down at three o'clock, but by the time three thirty rolled around I realized that we had been played. I don't know what set me off, but I took off running for the bay door. Before I got to the bay door the building went up in a big fireball. I had stumbled my way out, making my way to the bay. After diving into the bay I looked back up to see a few people come to the edge of the pier. What tripped me out was one of the people looking for my remains looked like Chief Demarco Williams.

I swam to shore at another point in the warehouse district, and then passed out. When I came to, I was in one of Hetty's safe house. There was on the note on the table next to the bed, and to my surprise it was from Hetty. She wrote that she informed H.Q. that I was still alive, and needed a quiet assignment for a few years. There is never a quiet assignment for me, but to my surprise I was told to report to the Los Angeles field house for my next assignment. I was to meet the Operations Manager, a Lara Macy.

"Deeks!" a female voice called out as I pulled up to the fieldhouse in Los Angeles.

"Macy?" I said.

"Yep," she said. "Get in."

Lara was about five feet six inches tall, pale caucasian skin, straight blond hair pulled back into a pony tail, petite frame, and baby blue eyes. A looker indeed, but not my type.

"What do you have for me?" I asked, after I got in the suv and shut the door.

"We've been having problems with our service men and women getting busted, or their dead bodies being found by L.A.P.D." she said.

"So, I don't see a problem." I said.

"True, there isn't a problem. We're sending you in undercover to get any necessary information out of them so we can start our investigation sooner, instead of waiting for our people to get to them." she said.

"You cleared this with the director and the L.A.P.D. chief?" I asked.

"The director should have called the chief already, informing him of your impending arrival. All you have to do is show up, and your badge and your side arm are in the glove compartment." she said.

I opened the glove box and pulled my badge and case that hand my gun. I opened the gun case and saw that it was a Beretta 92FS. "Really? A Beretta?" I asked.

"Take it up with the city. All L.A.P.D. law enforcement officers carry them. This is your stop." she said pulling up to the precinct.

I didn't even read see the writing on the side of the building. I just scanned the area looking for any outliers. It takes me a good minute a two before I'm satisfied.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"In our line of work, you can never be sure of anything." I said, and then exited the vehicle.

"I expect regular progress reports." Macy said.

I turned and stared at Macy, but I didn't engage. I turned back around and made my way up to the front doors. I spent the thirty minutes ride over here listening to Macy brief on my current assignment.

"Can I help you?" a female clerk said when I entered the building.

"My name is Detective Ashono MacLeod, and I'm here to see Chief Irons." I said.

"Third floor, last door on the right." she said.

"Thank you." I said, and then made my way into the precinct.

I make my way through the halls to the elevator, and I'm getting all these dirty looks, and unwanted stares from the rank and file. Not that I care. I step onto the elevator, and take it to the third floor. As I'm about to step off the elevator, I'm forcefully pushed out of the way by a man in a suit.

"Out of my way!" the man barked.

I didn't even bother to interact with the man, I just kept walking. I find the door I'm looking for, but I wait because I hear the chief is in with another person. It seems that the chief splitting up the two men, and I'm being forced to work with one of them. _This going to be a great assignment._ I think. A few seconds later, the door opens and out walks another suit. I step out of his way, and then enter after he leaves.

"Who are you?" Chief Irons asked, the tension in his voice evident.

"The name's Ashono MacLeod." I said.

"From N.C.I.S., why you're director is even bothering with sending you here is beyond me?" he said

"That would make two of us." I said.

"I'll keep you in the loop, but I had to split up our two best detectives." he said.

"Okay." I said.

"You're going to be working with Francis Boyle. Probably ran into him when you stepped off the elevator." he said.

"Ah, sir. I work better alone, and in an undercover capacity." I said, frantically. My entire life I've worked by myself. Except for a few incidents, though.

"Undercover won't be having an opening for at least a month. And if you want to work here, you have to have a partner. At least until we can transfer you to undercover." he said.

"Where's my partner?" I asked, waving the chief off.

"Most likely in mess hall. Or the shooting range." Chief Irons said.

I got up, and exited the chief's office. I made my way to the elevator, and stepped on. I wasn't the only one on the elevator, so I'm going to have to wait to call Macy. When the elevator opens again I look for a map of the building, looking for the mess hall and the range. It took me all of three seconds to be stopped by one of the people who normally work here.

"You new here?" a female patrol officers asked.

"Yeah. Where's the mess hall, and the range?" I asked.

"Mess hall is on ground floor, and the range is in the basement. You Boyle's new partner?" she asked.

"Not by choice. Chief Iron's forced me to." I said.

"Lord have mercy on your soul. You have my sympathy." she said.

"Why did they get split up?" I asked.

"They're dirty cops, but nobody has the evidence to make it stick." she said.

"Great. You have a nice day, and thanks a lot." I said, rolling my eyes.

"You too," she said, and then walked away.

I head back to the elevator, and took it one floor down. As I was stepping off the elevator, my phone began to ring. I looked at the number, and saw that it was Macy. I stepped outside to take the call.

"Hello." I answered.

" _What's the word?_ " Macy asked.

"I've met with Chief Irons, and I'm forced to work with a dirty cop until an opening in undercover is available." I said.

" _Let me know if anything changes._ " Macy said.

"You got it." I said, and then hung up the phone. As I'm entering the building I see Boyle and his old partner talking by the stairs.

"Was beginning to wonder where you were. I have a lead on the case I was working on before we got split up. Come on." Boyle said, and then walked away.

"Run along young buck." Boyle's old partner said.

"Don't let my appearance fool you." I said, and then walked away.

It didn't take long for me to match Boyle's stride, and I kept quiet to get a feel for his character. "What's the first stop?" I asked.

"A seven eleven on ninth." Boyle growled.

 _One of these cases. This is going to be a long month._ I thought.

I got in Boyle's car, and just sat back watched. I back Boyle when necessary, but otherwise, I kept back. Boyle was about five feet ten inches tall, caucasian skin, brown hair, and he had an average frame.

The month flew by, but it was a stressful month. Boyle broke every single rule that was in place, and as usual the L.A.P.D. did not reprimand him. I got word from Chief Irons that my transfer was complete, but I had to partner up with Boyle for one last day. Except this day ended a lot early than was allowable. I was walking into a safe house to relieve the officer on duty, when I saw that the suspect has been bloodied and scalded by what look like the coffee pot.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Boyle said that he had to defend himself from the suspect." the officer said.

"Boyle said that?" I asked, the rage building in my body. The officer nodded. "I like a word with the suspect in private."

"I can't do that." The officer said.

"The suspect would have been safer if he would have been left at headquarters like I suggested. Now get out of the building before I throw you out." I said.

The officer didn't hesitate, he exited the house without a backwards glance. "I'm going to only ask this once. Did you, or did Detective Third Class Francis Boyle use that coffee pot as a weapon. Don't test me on this because I know that you aren't who you say you are. And I know that to kill you would require removing that pretty little head of yours." I said.

"It was Boyle. Boyle used the coffee to beat a confession out of me." the suspect said.

"Thank you," I said, and left the safe house. I lied about the suspect being an immortal, and seeing as how this person has been known to tell a butt load of lies, no one is going to believe that I threaten to decapitate him if he didn't tell the truth.

I knew that this was going to be a problem. I knew that being partnered with Boyle was a mistake. I went straight back to precinct, and gave Chief Irons an earful. "Detective MacLeod, What can I do you for?" the chief asked.

"I just came from the safe house where we were holding the suspect on Jackson case." I said.

"Yeah he attacked Boyle, and Boyle had to use the coffee pot out of self-dense." he said.

"Fine play dumb. If Boyle interferes with any of my case in the future, I will beat him within an inch of his life and hand him over to a judge." I said, and then walked out of office.

I exit the precinct, and called a meeting with Macy and one of the cops that I came to know very well. Macy told me about this man, but if I had to guess, Hetty owned him.

I meet the pair of them on Santa Monica Pier away from the crowds. "What do you have Deeks?" Macy asked, when she and our L.A.P.D. contact arrived.

"My old partner, Francis Boyle, maybe be a problem in the future." I said.

"Of course he's a problem. Boyle can do whatever he wants and can get away with it." the L.A.P.D. man said.

"How bad?" Macy asked.

"I may have to put him down if he interferes with any of our cases in the future." I said.

"For the record I was never here." he said.

"Just make sure it never comes to that." she said.

"Boyle just assaulted someone earlier today with half a pot of coffee." I said.

Macy look at our detective. All he could do was shrug his shoulders, but he nodded his head. "I'll inform the director to get the authorization, but if he doesn't, I'll sign off on it anyways." Macy said, and then left.

"Any other gruesome crime scenes you need me to clean up?" he asked.

"At the moment, no. I'll let you know when I do." I said.

"You do that." the L.A.P.D. detective said, and then left.


	18. An Old Trail Goes Cold Again

First day in undercover, and I was already running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I noticed that our men had a vice for the whole nine yards: gambling, drinking, drugs, and prostitution. The first three vices don't bother me. That last one sets me off, every time. I busted a lot of service men dabbling with prostitution, most of the women I didn't give a second thought. After a few months of busting the prostitutes, I started to feel for the women. During one particular drug bust, there was a pretty blonde. I popped the cuffs and cut her loose.

"Why?" she asked.

I saw a tear roll down her face. "Pretty girl like you. You're too good to be doing this. Here take this, and get out of here." I said, wiping the tear from her face. I gave her a bill, and she walked away. But when she saw the bill she came back and kissed me on the cheek. "Merry Christmas." I said, and she disappeared into the night.

By the time I had been in undercover for a month, I had happened to run into Boyle one night after hours in a downtown alley. And this particular alley didn't have any cameras. _Which is good and bad._ I thought.

"MacLeod! I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" Boyle asked.

"Great, until I ran into you." I said.

"Ah, don't be like that." He said.

"Don't be like that? If there was even a person worth they weight in salt, you would have been reprimanded and fired." I said.

"You have no proof." He said.

"I know that you beat that witness with the coffee pot just to get a confession." I said.

"Everybody knows I had to defend myself from that maniac. Nobody likes you, and probably no one would miss you. I could kill you now, and nobody would ask any questions." he said. Boyle pulled his weapon and pressed the barrel to the side of my jaw. I have never been shot with a gun before, and I have an aversion to being shot. I played his game and if I have to I can kick Boyle's butt, but from the look in Boyle's eyes he lost interest.

Boyle put his sidearm away, and left. I let out the breath I didn't know that I was holding. When I went back to work on the following week it was hectic, and I lost track of time. After I had been in undercover for about a year, I stopped getting calls from Macy. I sent a few messages asking to meet, but I never got a response. I didn't have time to think about it. I rarely get a call about dead sailors or marines. Most of the calls I got were about drug dealers and prostitutes.

"How are you doing detective?" a voice from behind me asked.

I know that voice anywhere. I turned around to see my lieutenant behind me. "I'm doing fine. What do you need Bates?" I asked.

"Just checking to see how you were doing. Is that a crime?" he asked.

"No, but I'm pretty certain you don't want to do that." I said.

"Nobody wants to, but here I am." he said.

"Well, if there had been an opening sooner, I would have been here already." I said.

"You had to work with Boyle. How did that turn out?" he asked.

"What do you think?" I asked.

I left out the part where Boyle pulled a gun on me because I knew nothing would come of it. Bates didn't have anything to say to that. "If you have nothing else to add I need to get back to this paperwork. I have I.A.D. breathing down my neck about a few of the crooked cops floating around here." I said.

"I.A.D.? I'll let you get to it." Bates said, and then left.

I returned to my paperwork, but I knew it wouldn't last long because I was about to receive another visitor.

"Macleod." an I.A.D. detective said approaching my desk.

"Yeah, Quinn what do you need?" I asked, not even trying to hide the exasperation in my voice.

John Quinn was one of the lead I.A.D. detectives that got called for just about anything and everything.

"Easy there. I was just wondering what Bates wanted to talk to you about." he said.

"He had nothing of importance to say. He grudging checked on up me to see how I was doing. Anything else?" I asked.

"How about that case we were looking into?" he asked.

"Which one?" I asked.

"The prostitutes over off of P.C.H.?" he asked.

"Nothing as of yet." I said.

"Let me know if something pops?" Quinn said, and then left.

I was about to start writing again, but something made me stop. Something about how whenever Bates comes and talks to me Quinn is usually not that far behind. _Quinn knows something, but I have no clue what that is._ I think.

I had been uncover so long that the few times that I had come across a case involving a military service member, I treated it like a regular case. When I couldn't go any further, I contacted the necessary person to process the case. I had been under as Ashono MacLeod for so long that I had problems differentiated between Martin Deeks and the legend Ashono Macleod, but after one too many cases of the service members falling through the cracks I finally got a call to meet up. When I showed up it wasn't Macy though. It was the lead agent in charge.

"What's going on Martin?" the woman asked.

"Huh?" I asked

"There have been dozen of cases involving marines, and sailors but you haven't called inform us." She said.

"I've been undercover for over a year. Last year I stop getting calls from Macy, and Chief Irons has stopped calling me whenever there has been a case involving the military." I said.

"That's impossible." she said.

"Not entirely. There is another detective that helps me, and he was there the night I last spoke to Macy." I said.

"Todd Williams? I know the guy, but what exactly are you doing then?" she asked.

"I was supposed to do Todd's job, but I've been left in the dust my management." I said.

"I'll head back, and apprise Macy of the situation." she said.

Another year goes by, and I didn't hear back from Macy, or the lead agent. Then three days later I get a message delivered to me L.A.P.D., but what caught off guard was that the message was from Hetty. There were a dozen new immortals popping up, but I didn't have time to look into it at the moment.

A few days later I received another message sent to me at L.A.P.D. by a person I haven't heard from in a long time. "MacLeod. Got a message for you." one of the patrol officers said.

"I'm not expecting anything. Whose is it from?" I asked, not looking up from the paperwork I was filling out.

"Not sure. Actually I was told to deliver the message verbally." they said.

"What's message?" I asked, stopping in the middle of the sentence I was writing.

"Tell Ashono that Jill Sparrow will be waiting for him at the café on Ninth Street." they said, and the left.

It took me a few moments to register the name, Jill Sparrow. I feel a chill go down my spine. _How did she find me?_ I think.

I get up to go meet Natalya. She wouldn't have come to Los Angeles unless it was warranted, but was she followed. I make my way to the café she mentioned, but I scope out the area for about an hour. I see Natalya, and I see one of the immortals that Hetty told me about. She was on the outskirts opposite of me, and if I had to guess she was waiting for me to show. So I make my way through the alleys to the woman, and knock her out. I drag her body into an empty building, and risk people nearby hearing the Quickening. It took me a few moments to recover, but I was able to make the meeting with Sparrow.

"What happened to you?" she asked when I sat down.

"I took out the trash." I said.

"Your hair looks like you just woke up." she said.

"What's the problem?" I asked.

"My government has trained some people to take the place of your military personnel, and steal state secrets." she said.

"Give me the names of the agents and their legends. I will take it from here, and keep me informed if there are any agents." I said.

"Will do." She said.

"One more thing. Why are you helping me? Why betray you country by giving me this information?" I asked.

"I was turned by one of your agents. After I was left for dead by my country." Natalya said.

"Keep your head down, and keep a low profile. There are people out there that can still kill you." I said.

Natalya stood up from her chair, gave me a kiss on the lips as she slid me the information, and then left. It took me a moment, and then I remember her ex looked exactly like me. I remembered the dead body in the abandoned building, and then I called Todd for cleanup. I looked at my watch, hoping I could kill some time and go over the information that Natalya gave me, but I had to return to the precinct.

I get back to the precinct, and the first thing I see is dumb and dumber getting chewed out by Quinn. From the sound of it Quinn is reading them the riot act. I make my way to my desk, but not before I overhear something piece of the conversation. Something about a Tiffany Williams not being booked properly. I make a detour to booking, and to my great pleasure Tiffany was still there. I process Tiffany through booking.

Tiffany is about five feet four inches tall, pale caucasian skin, blond hair, hazel eyes. I was able to get Tiffany to work for me as a civilian informant, but she had to serve jail time. I had Tiffany do odd jobs, nothing to dangerous, but I saw John Quinn talking to her every now and then. The more time passed, the more I saw Quinn talking to Tiffany. I was about to confront Quinn on this, but I got blindsided by my old nemesis. I lost track of this man just before I joined the C.I.A., a man I had all but forgotten about.

About a month after I meet with Natalya, I got a phone call at desk at the precinct. I thought it was odd because no one calls my first thing in the morning, not even my N.C.I.S. superiors.

"Detective MacLeod speaking." I said. Answering the phone.

" _Macleod! Thee Ashono MacLeod! The same man that has had me on the run for the past one hundred and fifteen years?_ " a raspy voice on the other end of the line said.

"Oh, Jack, so nice to hear from you. I was beginning to wonder when you were going to drop in. I haven't heard from you in so long, I thought you were dead. You should send a post card next." I said.

" _Sending a post card is next to impossible because I don't know your address, but I have something you want. I am willing trade you a certain bird for an associate of mine._ " he said.

It took me a while to figure out what Jack's meant by trading a bird for his associate. And then it hit me. The bird he has is Natalya. How Jack knew that I was in contact with her was beyond me, unless Jack has made friends with the Russian spies that Natalya had informed me of. The only problem is I killed the last spy two nights ago, and for all I know Natalya could be dead already.

"Where do you want to make the trade?" I asked

" _Tomorrow. Santa Monica Pier._ " Jack said, and hung up the phone

It's most likely a trap, but I have to try and get Natalya out of this mess alive. It was at this time that I got a call on my cell phone, and when I looked at the id it was from Tiffany.

"What do you have Tiff?" I asked.

" _Quinn wants me to do a job for him._ " she said.

"What kind of job?" I asked.

" _He wants me to seduce someone?_ " she said.

"Who?" I asked.

" _A Francis Boyle._ " she said.

"What? What else do you have to do?" I asked.

" _Get him to talk about something he did with his partner did a few years ago._ " she said.

"What did Quinn say, or offer?" I asked, thinking this might be a ploy.

" _He said he could make my record go away._ " she said.

"He can't do that. I'll talk to him." I said.

" _Thanks._ " Tiffany said, and then hung up.

As I was ending the call I saw a few patrol officers walking with a stack of books, and judging by the writing on the spine they were law books. I saw Bates trailing the officers.

"What's this about?" I asked as the books were dumped on my desk.

"The Armenian mob runs an operation for making counterfeit passports. We're trying to get somebody inside to get our hands one that way we can bust them for the counterfeit." Bates said.

"Are these things better than a franklin?" I asked.

"Pretty much." he said.

"Why do I need to read the books on state law? Are you sending me in as a lawyer, something?" I asked.

"That's the plan." he said.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"We can't get somebody as an enforcer. They always get made, and always end up dead." he said.

"And sending me in as a lawyer is a better option?" I asked.

"With your style. Who would suspect you of being a cop?" Bates chuckled, and then left.

I roll my eyes, and then remembered that I had to go talk to Quinn about using Tiffany Williams against Boyle. I went to Quinn's office, and he was just entering.

"Can I help you Ashono?" Quinn said as he was sitting down at his desk.

"Why are you using Tiffany Williams to sweat Boyle?" I asked.

"Boyle has a penchant for prostitutes. I'm just using his vice against." He said.

"You do realize that Tiffany is a minor, you know that right?" I asked.

"It never stopped any of other men from using her, so why should I be bother by her age?" he asked.

"I don't care what you have on Boyle, use another working girl." I said.

"Alright. Alright. I'll use someone else." Quinn said, but something about his features was off.

"Thanks." I said, and then left.

I went back to my desk, and buried my face in the first state law book, and spent the next two hours going through five books. They were boring me to tears, but I had to learn this stuff. Now I thank my lucky stars that I didn't try to become a lawyer.

Just as I was getting ready to call it a day and head home, Quinn came calling. "I heard you ran into Boyle last year in a back alley. Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"What's there to talk about?" I asked.

"You two aren't on the best of terms." he said.

"Is anybody?" I asked.

All Quinn did was shrug his shoulders. "All that happened was that I confronted Boyle about using the coffee pot on the suspect." I said.

"And?" he asked.

"Boyle also drew his gun, and press it to my mouth." I said blankly.

"And you didn't think it was pertinent to tell your lieutenant that little detail?" he asked.

"Quinn. You've been tracking Boyle and Steadman's actions for, what? Five years now, and what have you done?" I asked.

"That's beside the point." he said.

"No it's not, and you know it." I said, and then left.

I head out to the beach, and then plopped down on the beach. I took in the sight, and got lost in the moment. I had been watching the waves roll in for about thirty minutes when I saw something strange. I saw a person on a board of sorts out in the water. I have no idea what they are doing, but it looks interesting. I got up and walked over to where the person came to shore.

"Excuse me." I said.

It was a woman, and she was wearing a funny suit. "Yeah." she said.

"Sorry to intrude, but I was taken back by the activity you were just enjoying. What's it called?" I asked.

"How long have you been in town for? Everybody knows what surfing is." she scoffed.

"I've been in town for quite some time, but I never took time to come to the beach. Does some local business give lesson?" I asked.

"Yeah there's a surf shop on the far end of the beach. Every Saturday from nine to five." she said, pointing to the opposite end of the beach.

"Thanks." I said, looking in the direction she was as pointing and then left.

The following day I received a call Jack telling me the time of the meet and location. It was an abandon building on the south side of the pier. I parked my car, and walked into the building. I was expect all sorts of traps that Jack could set, but all the only trap that was set was the one waiting for me the moment I entered the door. I felt a shotgun blast hit my chest, and it sent me flying out the door. Jack knew that it wouldn't kill me, at best it was meant to slow me down so he could escape.

What I wasn't expecting was a room on the top floor to explode. The fire ball that poured out of the room let me know that everything the room had been engulfed. I had cover my face against the falling debris. I covered the wound up with my over shirt because I could hear the sirens of the police and fire department. I disappeared into the crowd, and went back to the precinct. Later that day, Todd came to see me.

"There was an explosion near the Santa Monica Pier earlier in the day." he said.

"You don't say." I said without looking up from the state law book I was reading on.

"When the fire department cleared the room, all they found was a decapitated body." he said.

"Before you ask, the slaying was not my doing. But I do know who did it." I said.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"He's in the wind. Where he will stay until he's ready to strike again." I said.

Todd looks at me incredulously. "I would have called you, but I had been wounded when I tried to enter the building. People, the wrong kind people, would have been asking the wrong kind of questions." I said.

Todd rolled his eyes at me, and left. "Hey." I said to Todd.

He turned back to me with a look of disdain on his face. "Next time you talk to an agent from N.C.I.S., tell them I'm still waiting to hear back from them." I said.

Todd nodded his head, and left.

When I wasn't undercover, or at work, I was at the surf shop every Saturday for a month. After I got acquainted with the sea, I bought my own board and wet suit. Six months after I had the law books dumped on my desk, Bates had me take a mock state board test. I spent three hours taking that test, but in the end I passed.

"Now that we know that you have the chops, let's give you some real world experience." Bates said. "For the next two years you will be working as an assistant to the public defender as Marty Finch until we're satisfied that you'll pass mustard." The morning after I got my assignment to work with the public defender, I got a call from Lara.

"What do you have Lara?" I asked.

" _We need to talk._ " she said.

"When." I said.

" _How soon can you meet?_ " she asked.

"Noon, okay with you." I said.

" _Where?_ " she asked.

"A little diner over off of Garden Grove Freeway." I said, and then hung up the phone. I texted Macy the location of the diner, and then prepped my gear for when I head to the public defender's office the following week.


	19. That Fateful Night

As I was pulling into the diner that I suggested to Macy, I thought I was seeing things. I watched as Bates had walked into the diner before I had even gotten into the parking lot. As I was parking I saw, Macy was pulling in behind me.

"Why is my boss here?" I asked, as we were both getting out of our cars.

"Who?" she asked.

"Never mind." I said.

Macy kept her mouth shut as I opened the door to the diner. It dawned on me that Bates is going to wig out when he sees me walking in with Macy.

"What's going on MacLeod? I thought you tried to avoid female partner's like the plague?" Bates asked.

"Not my partner. Just an associate that I'm getting breakfast with." I said.

"Oh." Bates said. He paid for his meal, and then left.

"Word came down from the top. You've been dumped on L.A.P.D. until a suitable department can be funded to use your skills" she said, talking a seat at a table.

"How long will I be L.A.P.D.'s lackey?" I asked, sitting across from her.

"Two, maybe three more years." she said. "That's not the reason I brought you here for."

"What does Hetty have for me?" I asked.

"How did you know it was Hetty?" she asked, pushing a folder over to me.

"If it wasn't for Hetty, I'd prepping to go work as a public defenders aid." I said.

"One more thing. What did he mean by avoiding female partners?" she asked.

"I've been paired with at least three women as partner, and they all end badly. Either of us in the hospital, or her going to the morgue." I said.

"Come back alive." Macy said, and then left the diner.

I looked over the dossier, and I was taken back by the target. I noticed that the guy I'm going after is a tyrant that survived an assassination attempt, and then he was there when ever his political rival was killed. If I had to guess the person I'm going after is an immortal, and he is using his ability to cheat death to kill his enemies. It seems that I have to find him when he is alone. The thing that really set me off was the target was in Prague. I head to home to prep for the journey, and while I was packing I decided to check the temperature. And to my great displeasure the temperature was bottoming out at ten below zero.

 _The things I'm going to do for my country. The only reason I'm doing this is because Hetty can't get to him._ I think.

N.C.I.S. had a flight for me out of L.A.X. in the morning, so I went to bed early. When I woke in the morning, I went for a run. I had three hours before I had to be at the airport. At an hour mark, I was stepping out of my house to a company car that was waiting for me. I was taken back by the curb side service, but I took it in stride. I double-locked my door, and then made my way to the car. I load my luggage in the car, and then got in the back.

"It seems that Hetty talked your services up." Macy said, as I got situated.

"You haven't seen me work." I said.

"Here is your passport, and the necessary paperwork to get your weapons through custom. There is a private jet taking you to Prague, where a member of our team will pick you up on the run way." she said.

"Service with a smile. Will they have real time information for me when I land on the tarmac?" I asked.

"I will send an email to have the necessary information ready when you arrive." Macy said, and then pulled out her phone to make a phone call.

 _I wonder what it's like for other agents to have to fly commercial, while I get first class service. I'm wondering if the C.I.A. leant us their plane to expedite the process. Prague doesn't seem like a place that C.I.A. would be involved in, but if Cypher was trying to get a foothold in the area they would benefit from my assassination mission._ I think.

When I get to the airport, I can see the plane I was going to be riding in for the duration of my flight. It looks new, but it's not my place to do a running check on my vehicles. As I boarded the plan, and buckled in, the flight attendant said to me. "The flight will be twelve hours, and twenty-five minutes. Would you like anything to drink?" she asked

"Just water will be fine." I said.

"Coming right up." she said.

She came back with the water, which I downed. I was drifted off to sleep as the plane was getting ready for takeoff. It was the longest twelve hours of my life, and the crappiest ever. My sleep was plagued by nightmares of the three partners I had. What I didn't tell Macy was that all three of my female partners had died, and because they didn't follow protocol. I was in Prague for three days, and they were a blur. I remember landing, and then the next thing I knew I was boarding the plane heading back home.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The following week after completing my mission abroad, I started working in the public defender's office. And as I thought, I hated working there. We were in and out of court all of the time. The people we represented were mostly were criminals. There were a few people that we represented that weren't dirty, but those cases were few and far between. There was this one particular group we had to defend, but only one person stood out to me. He was a young black man that was in college on a scholarship.

"What's you name son?" I asked.

"Kip Brigham." he said

"Now do you want to tell me why someone like you, a young man with a promising future, would be lumped in with this bunch of people?" I asked.

"I'm not with them! They were causing problems, and the police just happen to arrest me too." he said.

I understand what Kip is saying, and it's very well possible that he is telling the truth. The only benefit to that comes with racial profiling, although it's despicable, is that it deters criminals from acting up. "I'm going to look into you story. Mind if I take your picture?" I asked.

"Why?" he asked.

"Show this around the area where you got arrested." I said.

"Yes, please. I got arrest on the Santa Monica Pier." Kip said.

"I'll be right back." I said.

I left the courthouse. As I was heading over to the pier, I called my boss, and told her about a development in the case. I could tell by her hesitation at first that she thought I was wasting my time, but she said to go for it. I asked for an update of any kind, but she didn't have one to give. I was at Santa Monic Pier for half an hour before I was satisfied. I had the names and numbers of at least five different witnesses that would testify on Kip's behalf that he was in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

When Kip went before the judge I brought forward evidence that he wasn't involved. Kip's case was thrown out, and I took him back to the university. It took Kip a few moments before speaking.

"How can I ever repay you?" he asked.

"I've saw that you're a starter for the basketball team." I said.

"You want tickets?" he asked.

"No. I want to play ball with you." I said.

"One-on-one?" he asked.

"Why not? You think I can't hang?" I asked.

"If you think you can keep up, I got a time right now. You want in?" he asked.

"Let me get my bag." I said.

We shot hoops for an hour, and it was a learning experience for me.

"Is this your first time playing?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"For it being your first you play like a pro. When can we play again?" he asked.

"Not sure, but here's my number. I'll try to make time when I can." I said.

I grabbed my bag, and went home. If I wasn't playing a lawyer, or off on assignment for Hetty, I was hanging out with Kip. Kip hasn't stopped thanking me for getting him out of trouble. I found out after I got Kip out of trouble that he was going to be graduating, and that he wanted me to come to his graduation. I went because I owe to Kip to be there on a big day for him. What I didn't know was that a scout for the local farm team approached Kip to offer him a position. Kip was at a loss. He looked at me, and I nodded my head. Kip gave me a hug, and then went to sign his contract.

I left, and went home. As I was pulling into the parking lot I started to become very tired. I entered my apartment, and got ready for a nap. As I was making my way through the kitchen I heard barking coming from the bathroom.

"How are you doing, Monty?" I asked.

I give Monty some loving, some food, and then I get a shower. After I get out of the shower and get cleaned up, I let Monty out so he can handle his business, and then I decided to call it a night. I get up the next day, and head out to do some surfing. I took Monty along, and let him run the beach. After I finish at the beach, I head home, get a shower, and head into work.

As I was pulling up from across the precinct I saw a car that pulled up outside the parking lot. The driver of the car made eye contact with me, and then drove off, squealing his tires. Before I left my car, I recalled the car in my head. I remember seeing that car at least two other times, but I can't remember where. I shrug my shoulders, and head into work.

I wasn't even at my desk ten minutes, and Bates was already on the prowl.

"Where have you been MacLeod?" he growled.

"You wouldn't believe even if I told you." I said.

"Try me." He said.

"That woman you saw me with in the diner a couple of weeks ago. Well, she works for the federal government. I get contracted to do side jobs that they can't handle." I said.

"And you expect me to believe that?" he asked.

I pulled out my phone, and dial Lara's number. It didn't take long for Lara to answer, and I gave her a brief run down. "Here you go. Ask her yourself." I said handing Bates the phone.

I waited silently for Macy to explain to Bates everything, except for the part that my presence here is just until there is a unit to exploit my expertise.

"I expect to be kept in the loop." Bates said, as he was handing me back my phone.

"You got it." I said, as Bates was leaving.

I brought the database of ongoing case up on my computer, and started looking for that car I saw this morning, but the search was a bust. I got called into a meeting at eleven o'clock, and spent the rest of the say in and out of meetings.

A year later, I got a phone call in the middle of the night from a person I wasn't expecting. "Hello." I said, still groggy from sleep.

"Macleod." The voice said.

I knew that voice right away. "What's wrong Tiffany?" I asked, wide awake.

"I just left a motel off of Main and Thirty-Third Street. I was asked by Quinn to sleep with Boyle, so they could arrest him, but Quinn hasn't arrived." she said.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I'm about two blocks south of the hotel." she said.

"There is a homeless shelter one block west of your position. Stay there until I arrive." I said.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Nothing that you need to worry about." I said.

"Please don't leave me all night." she plead.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. I promise." I said.

"Okay." Tiffany said, and then hung up.

I had no intention of talking to Quinn, although I should give him a piece of my mind for this breach of protocol. Boyle crossed a line that, if it was anybody else, there would be no coming back from. I jumped in my car, and floored it over to the hotel. It took me a moment to recognize the address, but I realize that it was the motel we use to setup for drug, and prostitution busts. I know because I've used that motel a time, or two myself. It was during one of those drug bust I realized that the manual safety on my gun kept me from getting shot.

Before I get out of my car, I call Tod to come to the motel at Main and Thirty-Third Street, and I put gloves on. I'm not exactly sure what Boyle temperament is, but I'm in no mood for games tonight. I know what room that Quinn used to set up Boyle, so I went straight there. As I opened the door, Boyle was stepping out of the bathroom.

"What are you doing here MacLeod?" he asked.

"I was informed that you were played by Quinn." I said.

"Yeah, and when I see him in the morning I'm going to grill him about what went on here tonight." He said.

"Yeah, you're not leaving this place until a squad gets here." I said.

"Out of my way. I have to find that little whore that lure me here." he said.

"That little whore, as you so eloquently put, is a minor. So I'm going to take you in for sleeping with a minor." I said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

Boyle just reacted. He charged me but I stepped out of the way, and slammed the door shut. Boyle threw a few punches, and I dodged them all. The last punch he threw, I turned into a throw, and Boyle went crashing onto the bed. Boyle came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to win this fight conventionally, so when he regained his composure he pulled his sidearm. I was on Boyle in a second, turning his gun back on him. I used enough strength to point the gun at Boyle's head just above his right eyebrow, and pulled the trigger.

I barely had time to take my gloves off before the before Todd had kicked the door in. "I hope you have a good explanation." he said.

"Boyle was going to kill a witness if I let him leave this room alive." I said.

"Get me a signed statement, or I'm going to the chief." he threatened.

"Give me a break Todd. Boyle was as dirty as they come. I was going to arrest him for sleeping with a prostitute that was underage, but he attacked me instead. I will get you signed statement, though." I said, and then left.

I know I'm leaving Todd in a lurch, and having clean up a crime scene of a veteran detective is a lot worse than slayings that I had him cover up in the past. But I had to get Tiffany out of this alive, which is more important than cleaning up the crime scene.

I get to the homeless shelter, but didn't have to park because Tiffany was waiting by the door. She gets in, and I drive her to an associate who makes id. I get Tiffany a new identity, and take her to a woman's shelter.

"My name is Ashono Macleod, and I'm L.A.P.D. detective." I said, identifying myself when I stepped into the office.

"What can I do for you detective?" the woman asked.

"I need shelter for an associate of mine, and, if possible, job placement." I said.

"That shouldn't be a problem." she said, and waved for one of the workers.

After Tiffany, now Julie Sanders, left the room, I spoke in hush tones. "I need to know that you will keep her safe." I said.

"Discretion is our business." she said.

"She's a minor that has been used by the police to serve their purposes. I'm trying to give her a better life. So, unless a person has a court order or I come calling, she is not to talk to anybody. Am I clear?" I asked.

"Crystal." She said.

"Good. Do you have a pen and paper?" I asked.

"Yeah." the woman hand me what I asked.

I went to find Tiffany, who was setting up in a room she had been given. "Hey, kid. How are you doing?" I asked.

"Better, but I have to ask. Will I ever see you again?" she asked.

"Probably better that you don't. Just to protect you from any backlash." I said.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"I need a signed statement of what transpired before I arrived." I said.

Tiffany took the pen, and pad of paper, and wrote her statement. She took her time, but had the statement written, and signed in a minute flat. I looked over the statement, and then tore off the sheet of pad, sticking it in my pocket.

"Check your mail next week. And then once a month." I said.

Tiffany gave me a hug, and a peck on the cheek. "Good-bye, Ashono MacLeod." she said.

"Actually, my name isn't Ashono MacLeod. It's Martin Deeks." I said.

"Good-bye, Marty Deeks." Tiffany said with a big grin.

I gave Tiffany one last look, and then left. For some strange reason, I felt like I was saying good-bye to a daughter, but if I stayed out of her life, the police couldn't come for her. I told the woman that checked us to give me the address when Tiffany leaves here because I felt responsible for her, and she said that she would call me when Tiffany leaves. I went back to the station to make a copy of Tiffany's statement, as an insurance policy. I was taken back by the hustle and bustle of the precinct when I stepped through the front doors.

"What's going on?" I asked the woman working the main desk.

"Detective Francis Boyle was found murdered earlier tonight." she said, and then picked up the phone that begun to ring.

I made it to a copier without Todd finding me. I made a copy of the statement, placing the original in my pocket. When I got back to my desk, I saw that Todd was waiting for me. I didn't wait for Todd to ask, I just handed him a copy of Tiffany's statement. Todd looked it over, and then left.

"Hey Todd." I said. Todd stopped in his tracks, and then looked back at me. "I'll avoid having you clean up any crime scenes for me in the near future." I said.

"You can still call me, just don't do so if I have it involves another officer, or detective." Todd said, and then left.


	20. Chapter 20

A year has passed since I killed Boyle, and to my surprise Todd had scrubbed the room. He got rid of any trace that I was in the room, which makes me a little nervous. I have to worry about when someone figures out that I was involved in the incident, but I put that behind me. Last night I got called out to a murder involving a two marines. I get on scene, and I'm immediately taken back by what I saw. The scene was at a local playground, with one marine, a male, who was fully dressed leaning against the monkey bars while the second, a female, was stripped down to her bra and panties. She was hanging from the monkey bars by a cuff made of high quality leather.

"What type of cuff is that?" asked one of the detectives.

"It's a BDSM cuff." I said.

When I heard it go quiet, I turned to see everybody staring at me. I take this moment to go make a phone call to inform N.C.I.S. about this murder. A few weeks later, there was another murder involving marines, and again it was male and female. I wasn't surprised when I came in and saw more BDSM equipment, but I was expecting the male to be stripped to his underwear. I didn't even say anything, but I got the signature stares, so I left to go make a phone call. As I was stepping out I noticed a picture on the bathroom mirror. It was familiar, like I had seen it somewhere before, but I couldn't place it. I looked out the window, and saw a car parked out back. I recognized the car because I saw it a few years ago, but the driver had peeled out before I could exit the apartment.

I made another phone call to N.C.I.S., but kept moving. I have no idea when this psycho will strike again, I heard some chatter about people using fake passports that were being secured by the Armenian mob. And lot of them were high profile targets that the D.A. was trying prosecute for serious crimes, but they were able to skip town before they could be captured.

When I wasn't chasing people that were among the garden variety criminals, or that serial killer that cropped up who was using bondage equipment, or working out of the public defender's office, I was either surfing or playing ball with Kip. I have a weekly game with Kip that is usually worked around my schedule, and whenever Kip has a game I'm there to support him. I'm there so much that I'm gifted clubhouse passes, which I use the first home game Kip had after they came back from being on the road.

One night after a game, I got a call from Macy to meet. I'm not exactly sure why I got the call in the first place. It can't because of Hetty because the last few immortals that appeared in L.A. have been taken out. When I enter the L.A. fieldhouse, I was escorted to M.T.A.C. where I saw it was all hands on deck. The agents in the room were all new, Macy was the only familiar face. There was a quick round of introductions, and then we got down to business. I hung back and watched how this team had operated. It didn't take long before one agent made a comment about my appearance.

"Do you own a comb, Deeks?" she asked.

"And a razor?" another agent asked, probably her partner.

"I work as an undercover detective. My physical appearance has nothing to do with this. Where did we lose the trail?" I asked.

"We were able to get a translation of the characters, but we don't have a translator to tell us what it says." Macy said, wrangling us in.

"We've been able to figure out that the language is Chinese, or at least one of the many dialects." The lead agent said.

"It's a dialect that I haven't seen, or spoken in quite a while. It's Pinghua, a dialect that was spoken on the coasts, and on the plains." I said.

"What does it say?" Macy asked.

It took me a few moments to read the email, and get the basic premise of it. When I finally got what Hetty wanted, I turned to address the group. "What we're supposed to do is go to China and sit in on a business meeting that will take place within the next two weeks, but we have to get there early to take the place of one of the members. I also have business there, too." I said.

"When does the meeting take place?" the lead agent asked.

"Two weeks from today, but the person who're supposed to replace arrives in three days' time." I said.

"Round up your gear. I'll get a plane ticket for the five of you shortly." Macy said.

"Why are we taking Deeks? He'll stand out like a sore thumb?" one of the junior agents asked.

I didn't even bother explaining the importance of me accompanying the team. I left that to Macy to explain. I round up my gear, stowing my kukri's in my carry-on luggage. I got a permit for those blades a few years back, and a few people know that I have them. Definitely not the L.A.P.D., they would freak if they know I was carrying them. I call Bates, and leave a message at his desk phone that I was going out of town on business with the federal government.

I'm finally going to find out what it's like to have to travel on a civilian transport, as opposed to a private jet. As we were passing through security, the team and I showed our permits, and we were waved through. The flight to China was long, and boring. I fell asleep as soon as the plane was taxiing out on to the run way. Halfway through the flight, I was awoken by a gentle shove to see the lead agent standing over me. He waved me to follow him. I entered the flight attendants workstation to see two flight attendants, and his partner.

"What's the problem?" I asked.

"Take a look at three rows back, aisle seat." The agent in charge said.

I turn and look to see that we were given false information. The man we were to replace is on this very plane. "What do we do?" the agent in charged asked.

"Do you know where the air marshal is?" I asked.

"Why do you want to know where the air marshal is?" the lead agent's partner asked.

"He can arrest the men, and you guys can slip off the plane in his place at the next stop." The flight attendant said.

I looked at the two agents giving them _what are you waiting for_ look, and they got the idea. I went back to my seat, and let the team hand things from here. I need to keep an eye out for the people that Hetty sent me after. I'll help the team if I can, but until I've neutralized my targets I was sent after, they're on their own. For the time being at least. The trip to China was quiet after we took down the men going to the business deal. We land in China, and we split up. I head to the safe house that Hetty set up, and grab the necessary information and gear need to fulfil the objective. The team was meeting with the local agents in the city, while I was hunting the two immortals that Hetty had sent me here for.

The first one was easy to get to. They didn't understand the dangers of have a routine, the second was a little trickier though. She had armed guards at all times, and was rarely alone. Except for when she went to back to her room. I was able to lift a key card form the cleaning staff to open her door, replace the card, and slip into the room. I studied this woman's schedule for the week since we arrived in China, and something about her set off a vibe that I knew her. I heard the group talking, and it was in Russian. I didn't think much of it because I've encountered dozens of Russian operatives, but what blew my mind was when I went in for the kill.

The woman came back at four in the afternoon, and her security detail would leave her alone for two hours before they went out again. As she was getting ready to take a shower, I got a good look at her face and my jaw hit the floor. It was the same woman from the night I killed that Russian boss back in the forty-seven, I'm sure of it. She was right, the new boss killed her and her associates, but she killed the boss and took control of the family.

I didn't waste any time, when she wasn't looking I stepped out of the closet, drawing a kukri, and walked up behind her. As she was looking into the mirror, she saw me and froze, which left me enough time to grab her by her hair, draw her head back exposing her neck, and in one swift, fluid motion, cut her head off. I was out for about an hour when I finally started to come around. I got one look in the mirror, and saw that my hair was even messier than when I came in here. I tried to adjust my hair, but then I remembered that I was on the clock. I saw that my shirt was covered in blood, but it didn't bleed through. So I stripped my button up shirt off, and stuffed it into a trash bag.

I made it to my room without any problems, and met up with the team. It was quiet for the rest of the time we were there, and even after the meeting was over nothing pointed to us being made.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Los Angeles, the following week-

I wasn't even back a week, and there was another crime scene involving murdered military members. This particular crime scene was a bit graphic because there were six dead members, they were naked, and they were all in sexual positions. I took in the scene, and then went to make a phone call. I took a picture because I know they wouldn't believe me even if I told them. Just as I was about to bring up the number of my N.C.I.S. contact, something set me off. I'm not exactly what it was, but something about the scene, or someone here doesn't belong. I turn around to see a man standing behind me with a bladed-weapon in his hand. As the man was rearing back to attack me, I sucker-punched him. He crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

The other detectives on the scene arrested the man, and I leave to make a phone call. After I make the phone call to N.C.I.S. I leave the crime scene.

Another year passes, and the L.A.P.D. finally decides to send me in after Talita Pambakian. They had to beef my backstop up so it wouldn't make Talita suspicious. The thing was for Talita to be brought in on trumped narcotic charges, and it would be my job to get her off. Which went off without a hitch. We were in and out of court in record time.

"So tell me, Marty Finch." Talita said to me. "What is it that you want from me?"

"I want to be in your services for a while, or at least for the time being at least." I said.

"How long will that be?" she asked.

"My schedule is clear for the moment." I said.

That was a two weeks ago. Unbeknownst to me, another precinct tried to get a cop into Talita's organization. When Talita figured out the new person was a cop, and she had them killed. This all happened without my knowledge. What's strange was that a couple of days after the murder I got arrested in a very public place, and it was viewed by at least three different news stations.

When we got back to the station, Bates was waiting to greet me and explain the very public arrest. "What was that all about?" I asked.

"Another precinct tried to put a cop in Talita's organization, and it ended with Talita murdering them. The very public arrest, and then some disseminated photo shopped footage will give you an alibi for your disappearance." Bates said, and then left.

After I got cleaned up, and had a round with the department shrink, I called Macy for an update. When she didn't answer I didn't think much of it. A few weeks later I tried to get in touch with Macy, but she still didn't answer.

A month later I picked up Jack's trail, and it was in Mexico. I told Bates that I needed some time to run down a lead. He didn't think much of it, and cleared me to run it down. Not that he could stop me. I head back to my apartment to trade in my gun for my kukris. I wasn't about to cause that much trouble, carrying a gun into Mexico. The trail led me to a tunnel that was used to transport drugs across the border, bypassing customs. I didn't run into any trouble while traversing the tunnel, which was great because I was exposed in there.

When I reached the end, I pushed on the lid and it moved slightly. I pushed a little harder, and I was reward with a crack of light. I could tell by the intensity of the light that I was outside. From my position I couldn't see any bystanders, so I opened the lid more and got out. As I was replacing the lid I took in my environment. It was some rundown area, possible an industrial section. What caught my attention was that there was some deal going on not far from my location. There at least three of four vehicles, which means that I'm was not killing anybody today.

I sneak into the warehouse, and get a view of the meeting, and try to get a bead on Jack. The thing that stood out was that I saw was one of the men spoke with Spanish with an American accent. I was listening to conversation and I heard one man say that the American is a hot target because he's in the military. To which the American said that he isn't using the base to do business. He said that he had a gym that was locate in the heart of Los Angeles. The other guy pauses a moment, but concedes and the two go into business with each other. The first shipment would be sent to America two weeks from today.

I snuck out of the warehouse, and watched the cars. I looked for the one that the American got into. The two men stop at one car, congratulate each other on a prosperous future, shook hands, and then left. I took a picture of the supplier's plate just before he left. The American got into his car, and left. As he was starting up the car, I took a quick picture of his license plate.

The following day, when I got to my desk at the precinct I ran down that plate of the American I saw. I went to get some coffee and waited for the search to run its course.

"Ashono!" Bates called out.

"Yeah." I said, coming back from getting coffee as Bates was approaching my desk.

"You still working on that lead you had to run down." he asked.

"Yes, and no." I said.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Is it connected to the lead that I was running down? Yes, but is it about the person I was after originally? No." I said.

"What is this new lead about?" he asked.

"For reasons that I can't explain, to protect you mainly, I learned that there was a new shipment of drugs coming in from Mexico. And the person on our end is connected to the military." I said.

"Isn't that a problem for the feds?" he asked.

"When has that stop us anyways?" I asked.

"N.C.I.S. is going to take over when they catch wind of the military personnel." he said.

"Why do you care? As long as I'm out of your way, and the rest of the precincts way at that, you should be happy." I said.

"Fair enough." Bates said, and then left.

Usually I would get a visit from Quinn whenever Bates comes to see me. Strangely enough, Quinn has been eerily silent since Tiffany went off the grid. Not that I care though. At that moment I got a hit from the search. A one, Victor Janklow. I went looking for the location of the gym, but it seems that it isn't in his files. If I'm going to find the gym, I'm going to have to tail Janklow to find it. I head to Janklow's residence to see if he left for work. As I was pulling up to Janklow's place, he was getting into his car to leave. I gave Janklow some space in hopes that he would take me to his gym, but his first stop was a diner. When I pulled into the diner parking, Janklow had already enter. I saw him sit down with some associates to eat, so I snuck over to his car and place a tracker on it.

I left and went home, to check out the tracker. It was twenty minutes before Janklow left. He made two other stops before stopping at a place in the TMZ. I figured that was his gym, so I got in my car and head out there.


	21. Worlds Collide

I pulled up to the parking lot, and I saw Janklow's car near the front of the building. It looks like an old abandoned warehouse, but it fits. But if I was honest, this looks like the perfect place to bring drugs into the country. Then again, all the movies and TV shows that I have watched recently have taken the edge off my senses a bit. Objectively, it would have been better to use the Camp Pendleton to bring the drugs into the country because who would have thought to check a military base for a drug operation, but then again there is a lot of security to contend with just trying to get the drugs onto the base. With all that security, there's a lot that could go wrong.

I look at the logo on the front of the building: Blood and Guts Warriors, and the picture they selected was a pair of MMA gloves. _How original._ I thought. I decided not to go into the gym, instead I head back to the precinct and do some leg work. I want to see who was involved, and how deep this goes.

I get back to my desk, and bring up Blood and Guts Warriors website on my computer. I come up with the names Daniel Zuna, Victor Janklow, Nelson Shabazz, Craig Mangold, and Dale Johnson. _Ha, ha. Dale._ I thought after readying the names on the roster. I take a look at the service records of the marines, and everybody has served together long before for Zuna came along. From the looks of it Craig Mangold, and Victor Janklow retired. I remember back to the meeting that the one doing all the talking was Victor Janklow. _If I want to get close to these guys it will be through Zuna._ I thought.

"MacLeod!" Bates shouted from across the bullpen.

"What?" I asked looking up from my computer.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he approached my desk.

"I'm still looking into the marines smuggling drugs into the country." I said.

"Have you learned anything?" he asked.

"Yes. The drugs will be shipped into the country through a gym in the middle of the TMZ called the Blood and Guts Warrior, and it's ran by at least five marines, both currently serving and retired." I said.

"Do you know where the drugs are going to be entering the country from?" he asked

"Not a clue." I said.

"What do you know?" he asked.

"Four of the five marines served together for a few years before the fifth one joined them." I said.

"What's your plan? Get in with the outsider, and get him to talk?" he asked.

"Yep." I said.

"I want biweekly updates." Bates said and then walked away.

"Yes, sir." I said, and returned my attention to the monitor.

I look for the cliff notes on the gym, and then made a game plan. It's a mix martial arts gym. I've learn a lot of things over the years, time to put those skills to good use. I decide to head out to the gym and try to get in with the group. I went undercover as Jason Wyler, and I've was at the gym for six month before I started to see ghosts from my past.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Six months later-

I made my way into the inner circle of the marines, but it was hairy at first. I had to hide a lot of my former training from when I was chasing Jack through the two World Wars, but I got in anyways. I got in so deep that I was asked to practice with the marines regularly. I kept Bates in the loop as he wanted, but something happened. The day after I updated Bates that I was close to finding out who the supplier was, Daniel Zuna was died. When the news broke the following day about Zuna's death, Bates told me to call N.C.I.S. and hand the investigation over to them.

"Tell me you aren't serious." I said, when I came into the precinct the morning he told me to pull the plug on the investigation.

"N.C.I.S. has been informed of the dead marine, and in a matter of time they will take over the investigation." he said.

"This is much deeper than a dead marine, sir." I protested.

"Fine. You want to be a thorn in N.C.I.S. side, be my guest." Bates said, and then walked away.

I think back to the last few days before Danny Zuna's death, and try to rack my brain for anything that stood out. But it wasn't long before other strange oddities happen. I remembered that I had to get back to the gym to practice with the marines. I get to the gym, and to the locker room in record time. I get the usual jokes about cutting it close, but I let it ride. Something tells me that if I were to push it like I normally would was a bad idea. I take a look at my gear before getting dressed, and nothing stood out. It was a white muscle shirt, red shorts, and black shin guards. But something about this day, even if it has nothing to do with this workout gear that I'm about to put on, is going to change my life. I didn't realize it until I was in the middle of my workout.

We were thirty minutes into our workout when I saw a slender brunette, with an athletic frame walk in. I couldn't see her face, but I saw her clothing and everything else. She was wearing a black tank top, jeans, bag that goes across her shoulder, and her hair was down and it also had waves in it. I liked what I was saw, but I had to get my head back in the game before Mangold chew me out.

I could hear Janklow calling us over to introduce us to the woman, and the moment I saw her face I had to do everything in my willpower to keep myself from shutting down. The woman standing in front of us, in front of me, was a dead ringer for Cortana, for Kinzie, right down to the two-toned eyes. Every part of me wanted to walk up to this woman and kiss her, but I can't break character, not now. Not like this. I missed Janklow introducing us. The only thing I heard was my name, and how Janklow introduced her.

"This is Tracy. She's Danny's girl." Janklow said.

"Yeah? How'd you find out?" I asked, completely blindsided by the fact that Danny was seeing someone else.

"The police called me. My number's in his cell phone." Tracy said.

"Danny had a lot of girl's numbers in cell phone." I said. Something about this woman isn't sitting right. I've seen the girls Danny usually runs with, and none of them are on the level of the woman standing in front of me.

"Well, I guess mine was just the last one dialed." Tracy said, her excuse was weak but barely plausible.

I held Tracy's stare for a moment, and then looked over at Mangold. "Come on Jason, we're all feeling bad." Mangold said.

"Maybe it was a mistake coming here." Tracy said, turning to leave but Janklow stopped her from leaving.

"No, no. Hey, hey. You come by here any time, okay." Janklow said.

Tracy took Janklow's words to heart, and then look back at me. I was still trying to catch my breath, but all I could do was raise my eyebrows and give her a look that said _your call_.

Tracy looked back at Janklow and said. "Thank you."

"Thanks for stopping by." Janklow said, and then the little pow wow was over. I got back to my bag, and with one last glance I saw Craig talking to Tracy. What it was about, I have no idea. I had to ask myself if I really got jealous of a dead man seeing a woman that was a dead ringer for my dead wife. I barely got through the rest of workout session in one piece, but I was able to get out. As I was getting a shower I decided to head over to Zuna's and see if there was anything I missed. Be it the drugs, or how Tracy got into his life without my knowing.

When I got to Danny's house, I park my car two blocks over from Danny's house, and slowly made my way there. My senses are running on overdrive, and has been ever since my run in with Tracy this afternoon. I stop on the sidewalk leading up to the house and take one last look around. I haven't been this tightly wound up since I left the C.I.A., and I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. I didn't get to explore that thought any further because when I opened the door and entered the house Tracy was at the table on Zuna's computer.

"Whoa." I said, caught off guard by her presence. Although my attention was on Tracy, I subconsciously caught a shadow changing lengths in the kitchen. _Tracy isn't alone._

"Oh my god, you scared me." Tracy said.

"How did you get in here?" I asked.

"Danny gave me a key. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I live here. Spare room." I said, showing the key that Zuna gave me. "Danny's laptop?"

"I emailed him some photos. Private photos." she said, getting up from the table and walked towards the door. I was walking towards the table, but stopped and turned to face her.

"Mmm, like the two of you watching the sunset on the Santa Monica Pier? Or the kind where you're not wearing anything by a smile?" I asked.

"Certain kind of person who finds private photo's like that, they end up on the internet." she said.

"Wow, so definitely X-rate then, huh? Nobody under seventeen admitted. Well-played" I said, and somehow that green-eyed monster from earlier is making another appearance again. I turn and walk towards the kitchen to make sure I'm not about to be ambushed when I remember my gun in my waist band. I try to cover it up, but I know she saw it. I just have to make sure Tracy doesn't get a look at what's under my top shirt. "Yeah, Danny said that he met a girl. Said that she was hot."

"You think he meant me? I assumed he had others." she said.

"Oh, no, no, no. He… He definitely meant you. Talked about how you two used to party pretty hard together." I said, I shutting the window and then making my way back into the living room.

"One thing leads to another. Then next thing you know out comes the camera." she said.

Tracy is on edge, and it definitely is because of my gun. I can feel the anxiety coming off of her in waves. "Right. Except he said your name was Kate." I said.

I can see the gears in her head spinning. She's trying to come up with another story, but actually I could care less about her next story. I shut the lid of the laptop, and look at her again. "In all honesty, I could care less who you really are. What I want to know is how you, a smoking hot woman, falls for a man like Daniel Zuna?" I asked.

"I'm a sucker for a man in a uniform." she said.

That was a totally a cliché, and I'm not buying it one bit. "Really, because you don't strike me as the type to fall prey to cliché." I said.

Tracy fell silent again, and this time I knew that she as having a hard time coming up with an answer. And, as if the cliché God's were smiling down on this little party, there was a knock at the door. I brush past Tracy, and get a quick whiff of her hair. It even smelled like the shampoo that Kinzie used. _Lavender._ I thought.

I get to the door, open it, and I almost lost my mind again. The man standing on the front step was a dead ringer for Grisha, and I'm beginning to wonder if Hetty is somewhere nearby.

"Did you call a cab?" he said.

"That would be me." Tracy said, and then exited.

"Thanks for stopping by." I said.

I continue to watch the pair until they taxi drives away, and then I close the door.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

N.C.I.S. Los Angeles filed house-

January two thousand nine N.C.I.S. finally had the funds to finance a department to exploit my talents, but with the change in leadership I had been forgotten. N.C.I.S. called the department the Office of Special Projects, and they were tasked with the usual duties of investigating the deaths of serving marines and sailors, plus handling terrorist attacks.

The team was gathering around the murder board going over known suspects, but Kensi was eyeing the photo of Jason Wyler. "Anything new on Wyler?" Kensi asked.

"Still tracking his alias." Eric said.

"Maybe he killed Zuna. He shared his house. He must've know he was blood packing. He could have easily introduced the heparin." Kensi said.

"Lieutenant Davis says Zuna had a drug problem in Iraq. Maybe it was a drug deal gone wrong between him and Wyler." Sam said.

"We can't answer the why until we know who Wyler is. Nate, check for any recent drug-related activity at the gym or involving MMA fighters." Callen said.

"These guys are all looking to get an edge. Methamphetamine, ephedrine, cocaine, all likely stimulants to appear in that environment. Not to mention performance-enhancing drugs." Nate said.

"Check it anyways." Callen said, and Nate left to go run down the lead. Callen looked at Eric and asked. "How are we doing in the paparazzi footage?"

"Literally thousands of shots. I'm still sifting through it." Eric said.

"I'm still stuck on Wyler." Kensi said.

"Stuck. Smitten. Whatever." Callen teased.

"He's hiding behind an alias. He's carrying a weapon. From the first moment I saw him, he seemed hinky." Kensi said.

"Who's this hinky character that you're debating?" Hetty asked, entering the bull pen from behind Callen.

"His name is Jason Wyler, and he's a person of interest." Sam said.

"Which one?" Hetty asked.

"Far left." Kensi said, pointing to my photo.

When Hetty saw my photo, she froze. From the look on her face, the team thought she had seen a ghost. Needless to say the team was a little worried about their diminutive boss. "Hetty. Are you okay?" Callen asked.

"Head to the boat shed. I'll get you all the answers you need within a few hours." Hetty said, and then went to make a phone call. Hetty sat down at her desk, and then pulled a draw out. In the drawer was the file of every undercover N.C.I.S. agent; whether stateside or abroad. When Hetty found my file, she thumbed through to find my name. Then she called Roger Bates' desk phone.

" _Bates speaking._ " he said, answering the phone.

"Roger Bates. This is Hetty Lange from N.C.I.S." she said.

" _What can I do for N.C.I.S. today?_ " he asked.

"I need you to pull your detective off the operation he is running at the Blood and Guts Warriors gym and send him to our boat shed." she said.

" _Why does he need to speak to your agents?_ " he asked.

"Ashono Macleod has inside information on the murder case that is connected to that gym." she said.

" _I told him to stop the investigation and turn it over to your department._ " he said.

"And I'm glad that he didn't. I need you pull him back now, and have him go talk to my agents." Hetty said.

" _If you want him, you can have. He's a pain in my butt._ " Bates said, and then hung up the phone.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

I was driving back to the precinct when I got a call on my cell. It was from Bates. "What do you have for me Bates?" I asked.

" _I got a call from N.C.I.S., and they want you to drop whatever you're doing and meet them at their boat shed._ " he said.

"Boat shed. What for?" I asked.

" _You are a person of interest in the Danny Zuna murder._ " he said.

And then everything made since. Tracy and the cabbie, they both work for Hetty. "Where is this… elusive boat shed located?" I asked.

" _It's located Prague Bay. Berth five._ " Bates said, and then hung up the phone.

I think to myself about where Prague Bay is. It's a dock I've never been to, so I plug the coordinates into my G.P.S., and head there now.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boat shed-

Sam, Callen and Kensi had been at the boat shed for two hours, and the tension was reaching a breaking point. "What are you thinking Sam?" Callen asked.

"Jason Wyler is not going to be who he says he is." Sam said.

"That's a given." Kensi said.

"True, but anybody who can stop Hetty in her tracks like that has some serious history with her," Sam said.

"But you heard Eric. There isn't even a library card in Wyler's name." Kensi said.

"No one is that good." Callen said.

"Well apparently Wyler has some good back stopping." Kensi said. "Something about him doesn't sit right with me."

"Maybe it's his baby blues." Callen said.

"Or that fluffy hair." Sam said.

"That's extremely awkward thing to walk in on. Getting hit on by two dudes who have no clue what I'm like." I said entering from the back door. The three agents turn to face me, and drew their weapons preparing to fire. I look at the new agent, and I almost blew a gasket. I've seen this guy at least two other time, and the last time was when I was in London, England chasing Jack.

"What's the matter Wyler? You act like you've seen a ghost." Tracy said.

"Given the people I've seen in my life, I thought I did. And please lower the weapons. It's only going to end badly for you." I said.

"You'll forgive us if we don't comply." Grisha said.

"Fair enough, but it was your boss that set up this meeting up in the first place. And she is going to be very pissed if you attempt to kill me." I said.

Callen asked a question, but something else had gotten my attention. Somewhere, either from behind me or down the far corridor, a door opened.

"I'm sorry can you repeat that" I asked.

"He asked how it would be an attempt on your life." Williams asked.

"You truly have no idea who I am, do you?" I asked.

"No. We don't." Grisha said.

"You can always ask your boss." I said.

"She's not here at the moment." Tracy said.

"Sure about that?" I asked.

"Yep." Grisha said.

"You can come out now." I said.

This baffled the three agents, but Hetty had stepped into the main hall form the side corridor. The three agents practically jumped out of their skin when Hetty started talking to me. "It seems you skills have dulled at all in the past five years."

"You could say that." I said.

"Put those guns away! You'll only get yourselves killed!" Hetty snapped, and her agents complied. "Special Agents Hanna, Callen, and Blye this is undercover L.A.P.D Ashono MacLeod. I've known Mr. MacLeod for a few years now, albeit, we've lost contact a while back."

I learned the first names of three agents: Sam, Kensi, and was tickled to learn that Callen's first name was just the letter G. Hetty was taking a seat on one of the couches, as the four of us were sitting at the table.

I decided to have a little small talk before jumping into the meat of conversation. "You guys… You guys are some serious operator, huh? Yeah?" I asked as I got up to go get some coffee. "Because when I go in deep, I'm on my own. But now you guys, well… I'll tell you what our safe house doesn't have a view of the water. Except for, of course, when the plumbing backs up." I stop to take a sip of coffee, and then continue. "But I bet you got some sort of a situation room too. Yeah? Lots of technical support. Lots of cool hardware. Plasma TVs. Maybe a guy at a keyboard typing in some logistics. I mean, not right next door, but close. Am I right?" sitting back down at the table.

The entire time gave I that spiel the agents were giving me blank stares, which isn't new. I feel like I'm back at the precinct, except now I'm getting it from federal agents.

"Monterey Park." Callen said.

"Culver City." Sam said, at the same time as Callen. This drew a sideways glance from Kensi.

"That is adorable. Both talking at once." I said to Callen and Sam, but as usual they kept staring at me. I looked over at Kensi to address her. "And you. Well, at first I wasn't sure about you, but that internet photo thing really sold me. So riddle me this. Did you pre-plan that? Or maybe… Maybe that happened in real life."

"Crashing in his spare bedroom? Is that the best you can do? You were lucky I didn't shoot you." Kensi said, taking a breath for effect.

"I was just vamping." I shot back.

"You in the mood to share, Deeks?" Callen asked.

"That depends on if the mood is reciprocated. Because I gotta be honest, I'm not feeling a lot of love right now." I said, and then took a sip of coffee.

I looked around the table, and saw that they didn't care if I was the odd man out, they wanted to know what I know. "Okay. L.A.P.D.'s being getting intel on the gym for about six months. They think it's a possible distribution point for the Juarez Cartel. So heroin, coke, meth, it's essentially a mini-mart for drugs. It's what you want when you want it. The Warriors, it's a tightknit group, but I managed to work my way in through Danny Zuna." I said.

"Zuna's autopsy turned up negative for illegal drugs." Callen said smugly.

"That's because Zuna's jones were steroid's and prescription painkillers. Zuna was literally two days away from introducing me to his supplier when he died." I said.

"When he was murdered." Kensi corrected me.

I stopped and thought about Danny's actions prior to his death, and then looked at his autopsy file. "Well, he was acting pretty paranoid those last few days. Like something was eating at him." I said.

"We're working a homicide. And all you have is possible drug distribution and some loose connections south of the border?" Sam chimed in.

"And what exactly is a loose connection?" I asked.

"You said that L.A.P.D. thinks the gym is a possible distribution sight for the Juarez Cartel." Sam said.

"Your right. I said that the L.A.P.D. thinks it, I didn't say that I believed it was the Juarez Cartel." I countered.

"Thanks for all your help, Deeks." Callen said.

I'm taken by Callen's statement. "Thanks for—?" I begin, but cut myself off.

"I think we're done here." Kensi said.

"I'm not done here." I said not wanting to leave the most important part.

"Sit down." Hetty said before Kensi, Sam and Callen could walk away from the table. "Mr. MacLeod said that the L.A.P.D. believes that the Juarez Cartel is connected."

"What else is there to say?" Sam asked.

"I don't know maybe… that I was privy to a meeting that took place in Mexico." I said nonchalantly, as I took another sip of my coffee.

This got the attention of the three agents at the table. "You got cleared to spy on a drug cartel meeting in Mexico?" Callen asked, as they took their seats at the table again.

"Yeah." I said.

"There's no way your boss would cleared you for that." Kensi said.

"I said that I got boss to clear me to spy on the meeting. I never said that I was going to Mexico, not that Bates could have stopped even if he wanted." I mumble into my coffee mug.

"What was that last part?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"What did you learn from that meeting?" Kensi asked.

"I learned that the person on the American end was in the military, or they were someone connected to marines that were currently serving, and that he wasn't going to be using Camp Pendleton to off load the drugs." I said.

"Did you get a good look at the person trying to buy the drugs?" Callen asked.

"Yeah. I could see one of the people was wearing an eye patch. I took a picture of the person's license plate, and ran a trace when I got back to the precinct. When the trace came back for Victor Janklow, I figured that I would investigate." I said.

"This case involves serving marines, and you didn't call us?" Sam said, spitefully.

"And?" I asked.

"You knew it was our case, and you didn't turn it over to us. It is out of your jurisdiction, seeing it has to do with serving marines." Kensi said.

"Your involvement in this case ends when you catch the person who murdered Danny Zuna, while I will continue to investigate drugs coming in from Mexico." I said.

"Isn't that still out of your jurisdiction?" Kensi asked.

"No. I have access to—" I began, but was cut off by Hetty. The only reason she cut me off was because she doesn't want to let on to the fact that my involvement with the L.A.P.D. is in fact a cover.

"Mr. Callen." Hetty said standing up from the couch.

"Pull the unit's service records. It looks like your involvement in this case isn't over yet. You ready for round two?" Callen asked.

"Ring that bell." I said, closing Danny Zuna's autopsy file.

As the four of us were standing up to leave, Hetty said. "Mr. MacLeod. A word in private, please."


	22. Chapter 22

"How have you been, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked after Kensi, Sam, and Callen left.

"All things considered fine. Though I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been seeing ghost." I said.

"Ghosts?" she asked.

"I've encounter all three—Sam, Kensi and Callen—since I became an immortal. Kensi is a real treat because she's a dead ringer for my wife. She even has the same name too." I said.

"Are you able to operate with a female partner?" she asked.

"The last three female partners have all died. The only woman partner that I worked with, and survived, was Lara. And I have seen her since before going to London in the late eighteen hundreds." I said.

"A fair warning: we had a young agent get kidnapped. He hasn't been found yet." she said.

It took me a moment to register her meaning. "So you mean to tell me that there might be some resistance to me joining the team." I said.

Hetty nodded her head. "Why do I have to prove myself to them? I've done, and seen more crap than the three of them combined? I've been undercover for five years. Most of that time, Macy and her team abandoned me." I said

"I can reassure you, now that I have you in the fold, you won't be abandoned again." Hetty said.

"That may be true, but doesn't that somebody else won't try." I said, and then exited.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Back at Ops Callen, Sam, Kensi, and Nate were in the armory discussing mine and Hetty's history. "Hetty said that she's known Ashono for a few years, but he knew Hetty had entered that building before anybody else did." Kensi said.

"What are you saying? That Hetty is lying about her history with the detective." Nate said.

"We shot Eric Ashono's name, and had him do some digging. Ashono MacLeod didn't exist until two thousand four." Callen said.

"What do you want from me?" Nate asked.

"We want you to do a mini assessment on Ashono from what we know." Callen said.

"When, right now?" Nate asked.

"We have some time on our hands while we're waiting for the service records to be pulled. Not only that, we are still waiting for MacLeod to get the name of the supplier." Kensi said.

"I'm going to need some time with the files." Nate said.

"Why don't you take a shot from the hip?" Callen asked.

Nate took a couple glances at my dossier. "Is this it?" Nate asked.

"This is all we could find at the moment." Sam said.

"Given that this I what I have at the moment, I'll give it a shot. Did you guys try running his photo in the federal data base?" Nate asked.

"Not yet." Kensi said.

"We'll get back to you on that." Callen said.

The four of them head back out into the bull pen, just as Eric was coming down from ops. "What do you have Eric?" Sam asked.

"I have two things. One involving the case, the other involving MacLeod." Eric said.

"What do you have on the case?" Nate asked.

"I pulled the unit's service records from when they were in Iraq, and Davis lied about the ambush. They were also statements about Davis being a widow maker." Eric said.

"Kensi and I will go pick Davis up." Callen said.

"What do you know about Ashono?" Sam asked after Callen and Kensi left.

"Well I ran it against federal data base, and I got a hit." Eric said.

"What did you come up with?" Nate asked.

"I didn't come up with anything." Eric said.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"It's above my clearance." Eric said.

"Who put the block on his file?" Sam asked.

"We did." Eric said.

"We as in the Office of Special Projects, or we as in N.C.I.S.?" Sam asked.

"N.C.I.S." Eric said.

"Thoughts?" Sam asked.

"Given the fact that our agency went to lengths to hide his identity, I'm going to give you two guess, but you're probably only going to need one." Nate said.

"Uhuh." Sam said, and then left.

"What was that all about? And why was he only going to need only one guess?" Eric asked.

"It's because Ashono is a spook." Nate said, and then left.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

I just hung up the phone with my chief. He told me that N.C.I.S. had identified the body of Craig Mangold outside of Scott Davis' house. I was given the address, and made my way there. As I was pulling behind Davis' house I saw a couple squad cars, plus Callen and Kensi walk around.

"Chief of detectives called me as soon as you ID'd Mangold's body. So how's it laying out?" I asked, as I approached Kensi and Callen. As I stopped near Kensi, I had to squint my eyes a bit to block out the harsh rays of the sun.

"Zuna and Mangold both suspect that Davis was responsible for their friends dying in Iraq." Callen said.

"So Mangold's upset over Zuna's murder, right? Thinks that Davis killed him." I said, speculating.

"When Mangold gets here, Davis spots him. Shoots him first." Callen said.

At that moment Callen's phone started to ring. "Yeah?" Callen answered. There was a moment of silence while Callen was talking. The phone conversation was over as quickly as it started. "Davis is here." Callen said.

The three of us drew our guns, and walked towards the approaching car. The rest of the officers pulled their side arms to back us up in case the arrest went south.

"Federal agents. Out of the car." Callen said to Scott.

"What the hell?" Davis asked, complying with the order and raising his hands above his head.

"Hands behind your head." Callen continued.

"I didn't do anything." Davis said.

"Turn around. Put your hands behind your head." Callen repeated the order, and Davis complied with the order.

"Are you people crazy?" Davis asked, nervously.

"Behind your head." Callen ordered.

Callen started to frisk Davis in case he had any hidden weapons. "So your place or mine?" I asked.

"We can manage okay." Kensi said.

"Oh, come on, Callen. At least let me hear his story." I plead with Callen to let me sit in on the interrogation.

"We'll take it from here." Callen said, and forced Davis to walk to their vehicle.

"What story? What have I done?" I could hear Davis asked as he was escort away from the scene.

"Thanks, MacLeod. For everything." Kensi said with a smug grin on her face.

"What? No hug?" I shot back.

Kensi looked over her shoulder at me with a look that said I was crazy. I watched as they drove off, and then I remembered that I had to get to the gym. When I was pulled into the gym, there were only three cars in the parking lot. I had a feeling that I should stay in my car and drive off, but for some reason I knew that would be a bad idea. Not only that, Victor Janklow was exiting the front doors, and when he saw me, Janklow waved for me to hurry up. _That's not suspicious._ I thought.

I entered the building, and made my way to the locker room I noticed fresh equipment that I have never seen before. I didn't make any sudden moves. I just went to the locker room and got changed. When I came back out I laid my phone on my towel, and my towel on the bench next to the main ring.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Ops-

"What have you learned?" Hetty asked, as Callen and Kensi walked.

"We learned that Davis, although he got people killed in Iraq, did not murder either Mangold or Zuna." Callen said.

"Who did?" Sam asked.

"It had to be one of the people at the gym." Kensi said.

There was a moment of silence, which Hetty broke when she looked at Eric and asked. "Where is Mr. MacLeod at this moment?"

Eric pulled up my G.P.S. coordinates. "It's says that he's at the gym." Eric said.

"Eric get him on the line and try to warn him that the murder is at the gym." Callen said.

Eric dial my number and it rang four times before I picked up. " _Hello?_ " I said.

"Ashono, its Callen. We just learn that the murder of both Mangold and Zuna is at the gym." Callen said

But the line went dead before I could answer. "What happened?" Sam asked.

"The line went dead." Callen said.

"It didn't just go dead." Sam said.

"One of the marines ended the call." Kensi said.

The three agents didn't say anything else. They tore out of ops, and drove over to the gym in hopes they could try to save me before I was killed.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Blood and Guts Warriors gym-

I was just knocking the last marine out, when I noticed the door to the back room was opened. I made my way over to the back room to see what was in there. When I looked in the room there was a mess load of drugs. On the far table I saw paper, and on it was an address in Mexico. At that moment I heard the doors to the front of the gym being forced open as if they were being yanked off their hinges. I reached for my gun, but I remember I left it in my locker. I went and hid by the door, and waited to see who this interloper was.

"MacLeod!" Callen shouted as soon as he cleared the stairs. I was about to step out into the main room, but I remembered the paperwork was still in my hand. I folded it up, and shoved it into my pocket.

"Thanks for the rescue." I said, as I stepped back out into the main room.

"You look no worse for wear." Sam said.

I shoot Sam an imperceptible look, but I continue the conversation. "I have survived worse fights than this one. You need any help cleaning up here?" I asked.

"No we got it from here." Callen said.

"All right." I said, and then head to the locker room.

Sam waited until he heard the front door shut before he spoke. "Eric found something on MacLeod."

"What did he find?" Callen asked.

"He didn't find anything." Sam said.

"What? How is that finding something?" Kensi asked.

"He didn't find anything because the file doesn't exist, or he didn't find anything because it was above his paygrade?" Callen asked.

"It was above our paygrade." Sam said.

"So what does that mean?" Kensi asked, after calling in the bust.

"It means that Ashono MacLeod is a spoke. Who blocked access?" Callen asked.

"We did." Sam said.

"So what does Ashono MacLeod have." Callen began.

"Or know." Kensi chimed in.

"That would make N.C.I.S. redact his dossier?" Callen asked.

There was a moment of silence before either of the three agents spoke. "We could ask Hetty." Kensi suggested.

"We all know how that conversation is going to go." Sam said.

After Sam finished speaking the secondary team from N.C.I.S. came to clean up the scene. The agents were on scene for a few more hours. The next morning I went to get coffee at a local bar, attempting to forget getting chewed out by my chief. I was on my second cup of coffee when the door opened and I heard.

"Mr. Deeks." Hetty called up.

"Hetty." I said. Hetty waved her hand, and then approached the bar. "Do you want any tea?" I asked.

"I already had some. Thank you." she said. There was a momentary silence before Hetty continued. "I imagine you're still smarting from where the chief of police just ripped you a new one."

"Was it that obvious?" I asked.

"No, but I just experienced something similar form my director." she said.

"Don't you mean _our_ director?" I asked. Hetty waved me off and continued. "It seems we need to coordinate our operations a little better. The director wants to assign a liaison officer from L.A.P.D., and the chief thinks it's a good idea."

"You guys don't need a liaison officer." I chuckled.

"I agree, but for pretenses, and because we are having problems with the L.A.P.D., I need you to keep up the cover of Ashono MacLeod for the time being." she said.

"You're serious?" I asked. Hetty nodded her head. "Please tell me you're joking?"

"I'm afraid not." she said.

"For how long?" I asked.

"Indefinitely." She said.

I drop my hands into my face, and then get it a quick rub. I take a quick sip of my coffee, and look at Hetty. "Do you know how much I hate working for the L.A.P.D.?" I asked.

"Roger Bates said that I could have you, and that you were a pain in his butt." she said.

"That I can believe." I said.

"Did you find anything that the others missed?" she asked.

"I found this." I said handing a slip of paper that had the address in Mexico.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"I have to run back to the precinct and get you that license plate." I said.

"Be ready to move. I want you in Mexico when the team takes down the suppliers." she said.

"Team?" I asked.

"I know a few people in Mexico that would be more than happy to have a supply line of drugs taken off the map." Hetty said.

"Where should I go to make my way into Mexico?" I asked.

"Just take your car. I'll send you an address when everything is said and done." Hetty said, and then got up to leave.

I finished my coffee, and then head back to the precinct. I shoot Hetty the license plate, and then five hours later I'm heading down to Mexico to assist in the raid on the Juarez Cartel. I'm shocked that L.A.P.D. was right about it being Juarez. The raid went off without a hitch, and then six hours later I'm heading back to Los Angeles. I get back to my place at three in the morning. I get a shower, a light snack, and then crawl into to bed. I get a phone call three hours later, and I almost threw my phone against the wall.

"Hello." I said answering the phone.

" _I'm not calling to early, am I?_ " Hetty asked.

"What do you want Hetty? I literally crawled into bed three hours ago. Do you need an operational report or something?" I asked.

" _I already have the report. I need you to come office so I can get you in the system._ " she said.

"And it has to be done right now?" I asked.

" _Yes._ " Hetty said, and then hung up the phone.

I get out of bed get dressed and then I hear my phone ding as I was heading out the door.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Ops-

Three hours later Sam was putting his gear in his locker for the day, while Callen and Nate were discussing something about two men and their statues. I'm trying to stay awake, but this coffee isn't helping.

"Well, well." Callen said when he saw me sitting down at the desk. "MacLeod."

I looked up at Callen and he seemed to be in shocked that I was sitting at the desk. "Callen." I said, greeting the lead agent. To Nate. "Doc."

"Sorry, I'm a little sore in the delts." Nate said, offering me his hand in greeting.

"But the glutes are good?" I asked. I was having an honest conversation with Nate that I missed the appalled look on Sam's face.

"You heard that?" Nate asked in embarrassment.

"I did." I said to Nate. At this point I saw Sam standing on my left. "Sam." I said to the man in greeting.

"The desk is taken, MacLeod. You can't sit there. Excuse me." Sam said as he moved a bobble head doll out of the way.

I don't know who owned the doll originally, but it looked to be in mint condition. I saw Callen sitting down out the corner of my eye, and I can feel Nate watching us closely. I was about to respond, but I saw Hetty walk into the bull pen. "Do you want a second opinion?" I asked.

"Mr. Hanna, I asked Detective MacLeod to sit there. I did so politely. Detective MacLeod has been appointed our L.A.P.D. liaison, filling a chair that, though taken, has been vacant for some time." Hetty scolded Sam for his brash behavior.

"Welcome aboard, MacLeod." Callen said.

 _That must have been painful._ I thought. "Thanks." I said, and I heard Sam grunt his welcome.

"So you're sort of a temp." Sam said, attempting to see the good in this supposedly bad day.

 _I'm really not in the mood for this kind of pettiness._ I thought, but instead I decide to playoff of Sam's crack, even though I know full well this is a permanent position. "Temp? Yeah, I like that. See, with cops, having a negative nickname's a good thing." I said, gloating. I can almost hear Sam's eyes rolling in his head.

"Okay. No time to waste. We have a case." Hetty said, exiting the bull pen.

I can almost hear Kensi asking if I was the best they could do. And I'm going to play with her a bit when I see her. I can see Kensi and the tech operator, who looks like Sean Beale from when I was in London over a hundred years ago, up in ops. Funny thing about the tech operator, his last name was Beale also.

"Oh, hello, MacLeod." Kensi said.

"Hey, Kensi. Oh, and… It's the best they could do." I said.

I kept a straight face, but I savor the imperceptible cringe that crossed Kensi face for a split second. "Sorry." Kensi said.

"Forgiven." I said, and then followed Kensi over to the center console. I make an attempt to stay as far away from Sam as possible.

The case was about a dead marine that was connect to a socialite heiress. After the case had been open for a few days, it was linked to a club that I have been undercover at few times.

After we had cleared the case, Kensi and I went to get coffee. While she was getting coffee, and talking to Aubrey Darva, I got a phone call from Bates. "What do you have Bates?" I asked.

" _That human trafficking case got the green light._ " he said.

"How long?" I asked.

" _Until the job is finished._ " Bates said, and then ended the call.

"Yes, sir." I said. I put my phone away, and got comfortable on the hood of Kensi' cadillac.

A few minutes later, Kensi was walking up to the caddy. "The gulls are coming in. That means there is going to be wicked sell on the bay by morning." I said. Kensi had placed my coffee on my forehead, took my shade off and placed them on my chest.

"You're a surfer, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Well, surf early. I'm sure Hetty told you we start at nine thirty." she said as we both took a sip of our coffee. "Though, after you liaising today, I'm not sure why we'd have you back."

"I'm not coming into tomorrow." I said, bursting her bubble. Kensi gave me a looked that said _really_. "L.A.P.D. op that they've been trying to set up for months, and all the pieces finally came together about an hour ago. Going undercover to night."

"For how long?" Kensi asked.

"Don't know. Cover's pretty deep." I said. I could hear something in Kensi voice, not exactly sure what it was, but something told me that she didn't want me to go. Even though she saw me as a burden, Kensi didn't want me to leave. I grab my shades, and got up off the hood of the cadillac "Don't worry, Fern." I pause for effect as I put my shades back on and give her a smug grin. "I'll be back." I said.

"Yeah. Maybe." Kensi said as she was getting in behind the drivers wheel.


	23. Chapter 23

Six months later, I'm standing outside the same bar where Hetty told me that I was going to be staying under as Ashono MacLeod for a little while longer. Except this time, I've been on the run for about fifteen hours. I've got a few bruises, and a couple of open wounds on my face from some shrapnel of a bomb that blew earlier, had begun to scab over. Nothing major, though I'm surprised that that the wounds haven't healed yet. I walk up to the table, and I see Hetty was playing scrabble.

"The L.A.P.D., and the team, is under the assumption that you had been killed in the bombing earlier." Hetty said.

"Not yet." I pause for effect. This gets Hetty's attention, and she looks up at see my face. "Maybe tomorrow."

Hetty waves for me to take a seat across from her, which I do. I get a good look at the scrabble board and realizes that she isn't playing in English. "It's a… It's a Cyrillic alphabet. Russian, yeah?" I asked.

"You play?" she asked

"I've haven't played scrabble in over a decade, and my Russian needs to be dusted off." I said. "Remind me again, what does that word mean?"

"Опасность, it means danger." She said.

"That's right." I said.

"You're not too badly hurt." she said, more a statement than a question.

"I'm stinging all over here." I said.

"Hmm." she said.

I took that as my cue to explain what happened fifteen hours ago.

N.C.I.S. L.A.-

Fifteen hours ago-

I was riding in the back of Emilio's car, while Emilio and his right hand man were riding shotgun. We were pulling into the driveway, as we had done these past six months, but the remote for the security gate had malfunctioned. Emilio started cussing about the malfunction with his body guard.

"Hey, easy fellows. I'll get out and open the gate manually." I said, which barely calmed the two men down.

I walked up to the gate and it opened manually, but when I was headed to get back in the car, it exploded. The blast from the explosion sent me flying twenty feet. The concussion from the blast, and me hitting the ground knocked my unconscious. The rest of the bodyguards threw me in the back of their car. When I beginning to wake up, I was in some sort of lab and I was being worked on by a doctor. I was almost one hundred percent sure this doctor is not the type that works on humans usually because I can barely make out what looks like kennels. Before I could really make sense of my surroundings, I felt a needle bring injected into my arm, with what I can only guess is some sort of tranquillizer, possible for a horse.

When I come to, I'm in an unknown location and the only thing I have on me still is my phone. The first person I call is my handler, Jessica Traynor. I tried to a few times, but it went straight to voice mail. When I made it back to place where I'm familiar with, I see that a newscast was being aired live, that a car bomb had exploded, and it had killed the occupant. When I heard the name of the victim, my blood went cold.

"…The name of the deceased is Detective Jessica Traynor, of the L.A.P.D…" the woman said.

In the background I can see Sam, Callen, and Kensi talking to an L.A.P.D Detective Frank Scarli. I know Scarli, he won't play ball, but something about his appearance on the case sets me off. I'm not exactly sure why, but I need to make contact with Hetty and get off the streets.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

I took another sip of my coffee after I had explaining the events of the past fifteen hours when Hetty asks. "So why did you call me instead of the L.A.P.D.?"

"Because L.A.P.D. would have just shut down the operation, and pulled me off it." I said.

"There is no operation, Mr. Deeks. The operation died with Detective Traynor." she said.

"Okay, listen. Lazik's in town, all right? My not so friendly vet told me this. Soon as Emilio's bodyguards found out, they split. This is a scary guy, Lazik." I say.

"So you think he's responsible?" she asks.

"Are you kidding me? Who doesn't?" I asked.

"Well, L.A.P.D. seems to think that Emilio had a lot of enemies." she said.

"No, no, no. It's Lasik, all right? Every time he called they would argue. Emilio was setting up a pipeline for Lazik to smuggle girls out of Mexico, and other things." I said.

"But you have no proof." she said.

"I don't need proof because they was another reason I called you, and it is more important than the L.A.P.D. op that I was running." I said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"While I was working the op, I caught wind that that there was a successful attempt on Lazik's life." I said.

"And he miraculously survived?" she asked.

"After which, Lazik went on a killing spree and taking out the competition." I said.

There was a moment of silence before Hetty spoke. "So, what exactly do you want from me, Mr. Deeks.?"

"To help me finish what the L.A.P.D. started. Lazik put a lot of money into this. He's not going want to turn his back on that. He's look replacement for Emilio, and I need a team to back me up so I don't die when I move in to kill Lazik." I said.

I took Hetty a moment to assess if it was worth getting her team involved, but she knew I was right about killing Lazik. "Do you still have a key to _our_ safe house?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"Get some sleep, and call me in the morning. I'll see what I can do, but I have no jurisdiction over the L.A.P.D. They could simply tell me to bugger off. And here's a tracker. Activate it when you go to make the meet." she said, as she passed me the device

"Mm-hmm. Ha, ha. Well, I'd like to see them try." I say. There was a moment of silence, and then I looked down at the board and noticed that she had a pretty big score with one word. "I think you got a triple word score there with… One with all the squiggly letters. What's it mean?"

"Be careful." Hetty said.

"Ha, ha. We both know that you just made that up, but I, uh… I will. And, um, thank you." I said.

Hetty nodded her head. I took one last sip of coffee, and left. Hetty took a sip of her coffee, and then realized that she had company. "Mr. Callen." she said, and then Callen entered the main room. "I don't take Kindly to being tailed."

"Well, I'm more of a wing man than a tail-man." Callen said, stepping up to the table.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, before the call it was "Find Ashono." he said joining her at the scrabble game. "After the call, it was "Find Lazik."

"Careless of me." she said.

"Well, we need to find Lazik before he finds Ashono." he said.

"Mm-hm." she said, as she watched Callen grab a piece and place it on the board. Callen said his word in Spanish, which was Quagmire, and then left. Hetty said in Russian that it was a triple score, and that she won. "Goody." Hetty said in English.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The following day I got in touch with Hetty, and told her that the meet was at Twelve o'clock at and old power station that has been abandoned for about a decade. I was with Lazik and his men for twenty minutes before everything went south.

"Is it Mr. Sully, or is it Mr. Ashono? Pardonnez-moi." Lazik said.

For the twenty minutes, I was punched numerous times. I was punched in the gut so hard, that my knees buckled.

"Stop." Lazik said. He approached as his guards were backing off. "You don't have to go through with this."

"Yes I do." I said.

"All you have to do is tell me how far this goes. Is it Interpol? Does it reach me in Europe? Serbia?" he asked.

"It goes all the way to your bedroom, Popof." I said. Then I said in Lazik's native tongue. "You wish I was just a cop."

Lazik and every one of his body guards took a step back. A few seconds later, another one of Lazik body guards came in and whispered something in his ear. Lazik said that the new person should be shown in, and to my great surprise, and irritation, it was Callen. _Took him long enough._ I thought.

Next thing I knew there was a big shoot out. I saw Lazik go down stairwell nearby, and I followed suit. I had just entered the underbelly when I heard gun fire. As I was about to enter the main section, me and Sam drew on each other. We both let out a breath, and relaxed.

"Couple more minutes I think I could have taken them all." I said, jokingly.

"Hey, MacLeod. It's good to see you." Sam said. Although he was smiling, that could up for debate if it was genuine.

"Good to see you too, Sam." I said.

"Callen, Sam." Kensi called out as she was walking down the stairs.

"Clear, Kensi." Sam said.

"I told you I'd be back." I said to Kensi.

"Oh, shut up." Kensi said as she was walking to join the group.

The group looked at me at me waiting for an explanation. I didn't waste any time what I learn. "Lazik found out that Emilio was paying off a dirty cop." I said.

"Traynor. We know." Kensi said.

I took what Kensi said in stride, but I couldn't stop the expression that crossed my face. And then it hit me who the dirty cop was. "I know who the cop is, but I'm going to need some back up." I said.

"Tell us where the meet is and we'll meet you there." Callen said.

"I'll make the call, but I need to check Lazik's body first. He has a piece of evidence that I need for the case." I said.

"You need any help?" Kensi asked.

"No. I can handle this part. Just be ready to leave shortly." I said.

I watched as the three agents went back top side. I walked up the stairs, and waited for them to exit the station. I had just knelt next to the body when Lazik had regained consciousness.

"Like I said. You wish I was just a cop." I said, and then decapitated him.

It's been a few months since I experienced a Quickening, and I can't say that I missed it. When I regain my wits, I made a phone call to Scarli, and then exited the building. When I exited the building, all three agents looked at me in shock.

"What happened to you, and what was that noise we just hear?" Callen asked, no doubt asking about the Quickening and the fact that my body looks perfectly normal.

"There must have been an electrical discharge or something. Plus, Lazik has some good medical supplies." I said.

The excuses barely held water, but I gave them an address to where I was going to meet Scarli. About an hour later, I was watching Scarli pulling into the parking lot two miles into the industrial section. I heard Scarli park his car, shut the engine off, and then walk over and get in my car. In the distance I can see Callen, Sam and Kensi listening in on a wire.

"Ashono." Scarli said when he sat down in my car.

I pointed to a coffee cup on the dash board. "Black, two sugars, right?" I asked, trying to remember how the detective drank his coffee.

"I'm glad you made it kid." he said, as he was reaching for his coffee.

 _Kid? I'm older than you by a few millennia, or so._ I thought. "Yeah, well, I almost didn't." I said. There was a moment of silence. "So, what do I do?"

"About what?" he asked.

"About Traynor? What do I tell Internal Affairs?" I asked.

"Truth can't hurt, Deeks. She's dead." he said, and then took a sip of his coffee. After he finished taking the sip, he looked back at me.

"Right." I paused for effect preparing to drop the bomb. "I trusted her."

"We all trusted her." he said.

"You know she told me this story one time. Showed me this photo, that's her on the left. The other girl's her cousin. Christina." I said, pulling a photo out that Traynor gave to me months ago, and showed it to Scarli. Scarli takes it from me while I continue the story. "They were walking home one night and this van pulls up and these two guys jump out and try to abduct them. Traynor, she gets away. But her cousin, she's uh… Not so lucky. They find her body down in Mexico eighteen months later." I pause again letting it sink in how her cousin was killed. When he looked at me I continued the story.

"Human traffickers, right?" I said. All Scarli could do was remain silent, and nod his as he tried to figure out where this was going. "So, I keep asking myself, you know? I said, with a history like that, how could she be in business with a scumbag like Emilio Ortega?" I said, all the while Scarli is just shaking his. And from the expression his face he's hoping I would get to the point.

"And that's when I realized…" I paused again, and Scarli looked at me before I continued. "She wasn't. Frank. She was just trying to figure out who was. So while I'm busy out there trying to catch Lazik, she's trying to win Emilio's trust so that he's going to tell her who it is that he was really paying off." I said.

There was a moment of silence before I spoke again, and then gave Scarli what he really want to hear. The reason that I dragged him all the way out there. "That would be you." I said, coolly and calmly.

Like clockwork, Scarli froze and then drew his gun on me. "If Lazik hadn't killed them, I would have. I'm sorry, MacLeod." Scarli confessed.

"No, you're not." I said. Scarli was about to raise his gun and pull the trigger, but Sam stepped in with his gun drawn. "Lower your weapon."

I reach over, and relieve Scarli of his sidearm as Kensi and Callen stepped in to back Sam up. Sam pulled Scarli out of the car and patted him down as I was getting out. I place Scarli's gun in my waist band in the small of my back, and rounded the car.

"You get all of that?" I asked.

"Every word of it." Callen confirmed.

When Sam turn Scarli around to face us, Scarli made one last ditch effort in attempt to ruin me. Seeing as how Lazik's bomb failed to killed me yesterday. "So tell me, Ashono." Scarli said, which got my attention. "How was she in bed, huh?"

I knew exactly what he was doing, and I decided to play along. If I was being honest that was a low blow, and he deserved to die. But his death isn't going to be my duty to carry out. "What did you say?" I asked. Sam stepped out of the way and let me at Scarli. "Ask me again."

Scarli remained silent because he knows he said it loud enough for me to hear it, but I keep this charade going. When I speak again, I pull Scarli's gun out, touching the gun ever so gently to his, as I pushed him against my car with my other hand. "Ask me again."

Callen is trying to talk me down, trying to keep me from throwing my life away. Scarli didn't even flinch when I pulled the gun, which confirmed he was hoping I would pull the trigger. "Ask me again." But Scarli remained silent. "Ask it again!" I shout in Scarli's face.

I heard Kensi tell me to lower my weapon. Kensi voice even sounded like my Kinzie. I realize that I was on the verge of pulling the trigger, and if it wasn't for Kensi, I probably would have. I lower the gun, and ejected the bullet that was in the chamber. I felt Sam relieve me of the gun, but it felt to me that Scarli was going unpunished. I saw the look in Scarli's eyes and it was almost as if he was disappointed that I didn't pull the trigger. I looked at Sam, and he nodded his head, as giving his approval for what I was about to do. _How about this?_ I thought as I physically assaulted Scarli. The first punch bloodied his lip. Sam stood by and watch the little show, but then Callen tried to pull me off of Scarli.

"You saw that. You all saw that." Scarli said, attempt to get them to side with him. Callen pulled me off of him, but it was Kensi soft touch that calmed my fury.

"I didn't see a thing. You see anything, Sam?" Callen asked.

"Not a thing." Sam said.

With everything said, and done I decided to walk away. I looked Kensi one last time in the eyes, and knew I had to get out of there. If I didn't leave I might have kissed Kensi, and then I would have to explain my feelings for her. Although, I could lie about where these feelings truly come from.

About a week later, I return to N.C.I.S. my feet hitting the ground running. We picked up a case that was passed onto us because a Chechen terrorist hit squad that killed an N.C.I.S. Agent that was tailing them. Come to found the team was chasing a suburban house wife that was trying to escape the team that was chasing her. We stopped the team, and protected the mother who was had run from her ex-husband. She was also on the run with her son.

The case was over in a couple of weeks, and then it was on to the next case.


	24. Chapter 24

I woke up this morning and I couldn't explain it, but something felt off. I take a quick inventory, and my body felt normal. I didn't feel like I was coming down with a cold, so I got out of bed and start to move around my apartment. My muscles and bones were moving naturally. When I left to go for my morning run, I took a quick scan of the area and nothing seemed off. I kept a running tally of things that jumped out at me, but nothing did. When I got back to my place I noticed an open parking spot, or what I thought was an open parking spot, but I had to keep moving.

I ate breakfast, got a shower, and then let Monty out. Even though I was out back, I heard a car pull up. Monty came back in, I filled his bowls, and then head out. As soon as I stepped out the front door, I looked right to that empty parking spot, and it was filled but with a car I didn't recognize. I let out a sigh of relief, but I still felt off. I closed up, and talk a quick lap around the complex. When I was satisfied that nothing was out of the ordinary, at least from a passing glance, I decided to head to work.

As I walked into the bull pen, Kensi was her normal self, while Callen was his normal aloof self, and Sam was still being antisocial. Sam seemed to be more distancing himself even further from me. I'm beginning to wonder if the man whose spot I'm filling was murdered, and my position is now permanent. I didn't get a chance to ponder that thought because I heard a whistle, and then the three agents make their way up the stairs towards ops. I'm at a loss for what just occurred, but I get up from my desk and fall in line behind Sam. I can feel the tension radiating off of him in waves. When we entered ops, Kensi was on the far side of console, so I slide around the back and post up behind Kensi. The case was about two dead marines, but what caught my attention was how the bodies were posed took be back to a case a while back.

"What exactly are we looking at here, Eric?" Callen asked.

"From the looks of it, uh." Eric began.

"How many were killed Eric? Two, four, six people even?" I asked, but that was lost in a moment when I saw the bathroom mirror.

I walked around console and enlarge one of the photo. The writing was just like the man who I was hunting the first time, right down to the car in the bathroom mirror.

"How old is this photo?" I asked.

It took Eric a few moments to check the data on the photo. "It was taken three days ago." Eric said.

I run down the statistics in my head. If it's true, that these photos were taken three days ago, then the murderer is a copycat. But I'm wondering if the original killer isn't involved, or if this copycat is working solo.

"Hey, MacLeod. You have something you want to share?" Callen asked

"Yeah, uh." I take a few moments before I answer, plus I had to remember the case file. "L.A.P.D. case file Charlie-Foxtrot-Zulu-niner-eight-Alpha-two-Mike-one."

Eric brought up the case file, and I was trying to remember where the original killer is. "It says here that the killer from a few years ago is in prison, and he is still alive. We should go see him." Callen said.

"MacLeod you go anything to add to this?" Sam asked.

"The man in prison isn't going to play ball. And he probably doesn't have any evidence to add to this case. If anything he's a red herring." I said.

"He's still our best lead." Callen said.

"Have at it." I said, waving to the door. Both Callen and Sam shot me looks, but I could care less. I heard the door close, and then I looked at the living room again. "Where were these photos taken?" I asked.

Eric tapped a few buttons, and my mouth almost hit the floor. I walked ops on autopilot. The photos were taken at one of the original crime scenes. "What's going on MacLeod?" Kensi said running to catch.

"Those crime scene photos were taken at one of the original crime scenes when I worked the case about two years ago." I said.

"Don't you think we should tall Callen and Sam about this?" she asked.

"Naw." I said.

"Why not? They are the agents in charge of this investigation." she said.

"Because whoever killed those marines and left them in that disturbing arrangement, dear lord bless their souls, was trying to get to me." I said.

"How do you know you are at the center of this case?" she asked.

"I'll explain when we get there." I said.

It took us about thirty minutes to get to the house, almost longer because were already on the road when the lunch rush hour began. Kensi was putting the car in park when I felt that sensation again. It's been a while since my senses have been so tightly wound. I don't like the situation, but I can't tell if I need my gun or my kukri. As Kensi was rounding the vehicle towards the house, I saw a person in the living room window. They looked to have a medium frame and blond hair.

As we were approaching the front door I drew my gun as Kensi was kneeling down to pick the lock. As soon as she got the door open, I put my gun away and tackled the man standing behind the door. I mount the man and almost flipped my lid when I looked the man in his face. It was like looking in a mirror. He was me, the man had my face and then I realized who I was looking at the moment he opened his mouth. It was General Vadik Petrenko.

"So nice to see you again, Phantom." Petrenko said in Russian.

"Who's the Phantom? Do you know what he's talking about?" Kensi asked.

I didn't answer, I continued the conversation in Russian, too. "It's has been a while Vadik Petrenko. Is it general, or are you out of the military?"

When Kensi heard me speak fluent Russian, her mouth hit the floor. "Kensi. The door please." I said.

Kensi shut the door. She almost crapped a brick when I pulled Vadik off the floor. When Vadik saw Kensi, it was his turn or his mouth to hit the floor. "Sparrow." Vadik said breathlessly, but Kensi had backed away from him with a confused look on her face.

"Natalya. It's me Vadik." he said in English.

"The Sparrow is dead. She died at the hands of a psycho path that I was hunting long before I met either of you." I said.

"Sparrow?" she asked.

"Natalya Dragomirov." he said.

"She was a Russian spy that I tangled with back in the eighties. But she turned states when the FSB betrayed her." I said to Petrenko.

"We didn't betray her, she betray us when she failed to kill you at Anton's funeral." he said.

"Who's Anton?" she asked.

"No one of consequence." I said. It was at that moment that I realized that it was a trap meant to lure me out. The trap isn't the problem, though. The problem is that Kensi has been exposed to these monsters, and they wouldn't hesitate to kidnap her. I don't think they'll kill her, but I'm not taking that chance. "Kensi, head back to the car." I said.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't have time to explain. Right now, I need you to leave the house, and drive." I said.

"And after that?" she asked.

"It's better that I don't know that." I said. There was a moment of silence before I exclaimed. "Move it, Kensi!"

Kensi was out the door without a backwards glance. When I couldn't hear the engine anymore, I pulled out a kukri and said. "You won't be alone for long. Your buddies will be along soon." And then cut Petrenko's head off.

It took me a few minutes to get moving, and by that time there was a team at the front door. I wasn't able to get out the back door, but I didn't have to worry because I recognize the voices. It was Callen and Sam, but where was Petrenko's back up? I quickly cleaned the kukri off and sheathed it. I take a quick glance and see that this whole crime scene really was faked to lure me out.

"Hey, Ashono are you—whoa what happened here?" Sam asked when he saw the decapitated body in the front hall.

"I'm fine. He's not." I said.

"Who's the dead guy?" Callen asked.

"He's a former general in the Russian military, and KGB officer, by the name Vadik Petrenko. He was decapitated for a very specific reason, and it has nothing to do with ritual sacrifice." I said.

"That's a given seeing as there aren't any symbols on the floor or walls." Sam said.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna your presences is required back at Ops." Hetty said entering the house.

There was a moment of silence before anybody moved, but both Callen and Sam were staring me down. I tilted my head towards the pair and raised my eyebrows at them, and then they left.

"Did Miss Blye see?" she asked.

"No she didn't, but the general did a good look at her." I said.

"What do you suggest?" she asked.

"Place a tracker incase the general has a team in the area. Look into the former KGB agent Natalya Dragomirov." I said.

"The Sparrow? Why her?" she asked.

"The general thought Kensi was Natalya at first." I said.

"Detective MacLeod, Hetty. Got anything for me?" Todd asked entering the front door.

"Body on the floor." Hetty said.

"Who he's?" Todd asked.

"He was a member of the Russian army, a Vadik Petrenko, but he doesn't answer to Mother Russia anymore." I said.

Todd was taken back when I identified the dead man, and I can see it in his face. "We'll handle the State Department if they get involved." Hetty said.

"You guys know the drill." Todd said, and then Hetty and I made ourselves scarce.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Hetty and I walked into Ops, and stopped by the bull pen. Callen, Sam and Kensi stared at the three of us waiting for an explanation.

"The case was somehow faked to get to me." I said.

"How did they know that you work for N.C.I.S.?" Sam asked.

"I don't think they did. I think they knew I work for some government agency." I said.

"They were monitor communications between to you and the Sparrow." Kensi said.

"The Sparrow?" Sam asked.

"Wait, what? You knew the Sparrow?" Callen asked.

"Her given name is Natalya Dragomirov. And she was the girlfriend of the general that was at the house." Kensi said. Kensi found a tablet and then started a search for Natalya.

"Natalya was one of Russia's most fear assassins, also one of their top snipers. She had most confirmed kills for a woman in the last decade." Callen said.

"And you tangled with her? How did you get out alive?" Sam asked.

"Carefully." I said.

"That's it? Carefully—" Callen began, but was cut off by a gasp from Kensi. When four of us turned to look at the screen Callen and Sam's mouths hit the floor, while Hetty and I were unfazed by Kensi resemblance to Natalya. It took Callen a moment realize that Hetty and I had already seen Natalya. "You two already knew that Kensi resembled Natalya Dragomirov." Callen said.

"I've only seen photos of Miss Dragomirov. I've never meet her personally." Hetty said.

"But you knew?" Sam asked

"Who do you think took that photo?" I asked.

"That doesn't answer the question." Sam said

"I'm guessing the three of you had Eric run my dossier?" I asked.

There was a moment of silence before Kensi spoke. "I wasn't sure about it at first, but I am now."

"Sure of what?" Hetty asked, knowing full well what the answer to the question was.

"MacLeod is a spook. Ashono MacLeod is a legend. All I know is his last name is Deeks." Callen said.

"Who is capable speak Russian fluently." Kensi added.

"Russian isn't only the language I speak fluently." I corrected.

"This isn't a game Deeks. If you brought trouble into this house—" Sam was about to threaten me, but I decide to put him in his place.

"You're going to do what Sam? Because I'm pretty certain that you couldn't take me even if you had ten years to practice." I said.

"I wouldn't count Sam out." Callen chimed in. I take one look at Callen, and realize a good way to shut them both up.

"Kensi." I said.

"Yeah." Kensi said.

"What did Vadik call me?" I asked.

"He called you the Phantom." Kensi said.

Kensi statement had the desired effect. I saw Callen go white as a sheet, but it went right over Sam's head. "So what. What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

"Sam, phantom operatives were capable of going into the most hostile environments and complete missions that was deemed impossible. They were the fixer's of the C.I.A., people who got the job done when others had failed."

"Vadik mentioned another name. Anton Sidorov." Kensi said.

"Anton Sidorov." Sam spoke up.

"He's no one of consequence." I said.

"You sure about that?" Hetty asked.

"The first time I ran into Natalya was at Anton Sidorov's funeral." I said, but in the back of my mind I'm beginning to wonder if Anton rose the grave to join mine and Hetty's ranks.

"How long has Aton been dead?" Callen asked.

"Twenty-seven years." I said.

Callen, Sam, Hetty and Kensi debated the outcomes of the Russian involvement in the case, but I'm pretty that the Russian's have nothing to do with it. It was at this time I notice the watch that Kensi was wearing was a men's watch. If I had to guess it was her father's watch at one time. I have to find a way to place a tracer without her knowledge.

"Hetty we have a hit on that search you had us run." a female voice said form behind us.

I recognize that voice immediately, albeit I haven't heard it in over four thousand years. I turned around and I was looking at grown up version of Johanna Jones, who I ran into back in London. And my suspicions were confirmed because when Johanna looked at me I notice her make a momentary flash of recognition then schooled her features.

"This is Nell Jones, technical operator." Hetty said.

"Johanna." I greet Nell. The three agents looked at me like I was crazy.

"Martin. Vadik Petrenko died on March third, nineteen eighty-seven." Nell said.

"Wait. What?" Sam said.

"Petrenko has a death certificate, but how was he still alive?" Callen asked.

"Hetty?" Kensi asked.

"It's above your paygrade." Hetty said.

"That's not even above their paygrade. That is something that doesn't involve the government." I said.

"When will we be read in?" Sam asked.

"You know what they say about sleeping dogs." I warned Sam.

Sam thinks that I doing this to spite him, when in reality I'm trying to protect them from something that they can't even begin to comprehend. And from the look on Sam's face I'm right, but too late now. "What did they want with you?" Callen asked.

"Between the nineteen sixties and then nineteen nineties, I proved to be a thorn in the Russia's side. Plus a few governments in the Middle East." I said.

"But why would the Russians coming after you?" Kensi asked.

"I don't think Russia is involved." Nell said.

"Why is a dead general, who formally had ties to Russia, be coming after Deeks?" Sam asked.

"We're trying to figure that out." I said.

"You're done doing it alone. They brought this to our doorstep, and we're going to finish it." Sam said.

"We tracked Petrenko's travel plans. He came from Prague before coming to Los Angeles." Nell said.

"Prague! Ugh." I said.

"Prague is a historical city." Callen said.

"Last time I was there, it was well below freezing." I said

"Callen we need a plan in place if we have to go to Prague." Sam said.

I rolled my eyes as the two agents discussed future plans, but Nell waved for me to follow her. We walked to the armory, where Nell hugged me. Nell has grown at least six inches taller since I last saw her. "Good to see you." she said, after breaking the hug.

"Good to see you too. When did Hetty bring you on?" I asked.

"About a hundred years after you left." she said.

"What are you using now?" I asked.

"A kukri. You?" she asked.

"Same. I need a favor." I said.

"What." she said

"I need you to put a tracer on Kensi watch." I said.

"You think there might have been others that followed Vadik stateside?" she asked.

"They wanted to kill me. What's stopping them from kidnapping Kensi to finish the job?" I said.

"I'll make it my top priority." Nell, said and then left. I head back to the bull pen and take a seat. I pulled out a couple of folders from my inbox, and started filling out the paperwork. Mostly after action reports, and other daily reports. Two days later Nell said that she had placed the tracer on Kensi watch, and as thanks I gave her a gift that she loved. Nell gave me a hug, and then walked back to ops with the biggest smile I have ever seen.

"What was that all about?" Kensi asked.

"A long time ago, Nell told me what her favorite object was. I just gave her one." I said.

"What was it?" she asked.

"That's none of your business." I said, with a sly grin on my face.

Kensi rolled her eyes at me and then sat down to fill out paperwork. Sam and Callen came into the bull pen after running down a lead on our current case because the case involving Petrenko has gone cold.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Two months later-

I get a phone call in the dead of night. "Hello." I said, groggily .

" _Deeks, we have a situation._ " Nell said.

I look at the clock and saw the hour. "It's three in the morning, Nell. What's wrong?" I asked.

" _Kensi has gone missing._ " she said.

"Where?" I asked, propping myself up on my elbow.

" _Prague._ " Nell said.


	25. Chapter 25

I got through customs with little trouble. Hetty told me that there would be back up waiting at out our safe house, and they would have a layout of the place where we're going to and how many people we would have to deal with. I get to the safe house, and speak the safe word. When I entered I saw four men. Actually, three men and teenager. The three men were Caucasian, Hispanic, and Black. The teenager was Asian. They were all gather around a table.

"What do we have?" I asked.

"Hetty wasn't lying. Down to business." the Caucasian man said.

"I have other business to attend to, also." the Hispanic man said

"Come on Tuhon. Don't be like that." the black man said.

"Hetty left me a long list, and I have to get back to. This is what I learn on your flight here. It's four men and one woman, and they work out of this club here." Tuhon said, pointing to the building on a map in front of us.

"How many stories? Is there a basement or rooftop access?" I asked.

"No basement, or rooftop access. But there are a lot of office space behind the dance floor." the teen said.

I took what the teen in stride, and devised a plan. I do an imperceptible double take because the teen looks familiar, but I was back to the task at hand. "What do you have in mind?" the Caucasian man asked.

"They're probably holding my partner in the office space. In case that isn't the scenario, what are on the other four floors?" I asked.

"I was following this group from Los Angeles. They aren't as inconspicuous as they think. They took the woman into the club, and to the back of the office space. Here." The teen said, bring up a holographic image of the club.

"The guards are the red dots, and Kensi is green dot here?" I asked.

"Yes." the Caucasian man said.

"When does the club open?" I asked.

"The club never closes." Tuhon says.

"What's the plan?" the black man asked.

"They expect me to come marching through the front door. I suggest we don't disappoint them." I said.

"Seeing as how this is _club_ , we are going to need a soundtrack." the teen said.

"I have just the song. And it's going to fit the situation perfectly." the Caucasian man said.

"I don't really care, but knock yourselves out. Where are our targets?" I asked.

"One is going to be in the DJ booth, three will be near the entrance to the office space, and the last one plus five bodyguards will be in the back of the office space." Tuhon said.

"Gear up. I want to be out of this frozen wasteland within the hour." I said.

We get to the club, but we keep our coats. We get to the dance floor without any problems either. I learn the names of the other three associates with are Shai Yota, the Asian teen, the Black man's name is Fidel Lawson, and the Caucasian man is Wade Emmerson. Tuhon said that the four out of the five group don't usually show up until five o'clock. I looked at my watch and saw that five o'clock is in ten minutes. I told the group to make themselves scarce. Wade made his way over to the DJ booth, and asked the man to follow him. Wade didn't get back into the booth until after the other four had shown up. I fell in line behind them, while Tuhon, Fidel and Shai were following me.

" _Are they here?_ " Wade asked.

"Yeah, they just walked in." Shai said.

"Cue the music DJ." Tuhon said.

" _One funky beat coming up._ " Wade said.

"That's up for debate." Fidel shot back.

" _Just wait for it._ " Wade said, as he was looking for the track. " _Dropping the track in three, two, one._ "

The first thing I heard coming from the speakers was either one, or it could have been more, male's voice saying ah in rapid succession. Then there was a man that came on that said something about another person trying to make a comeback. I noticed the group had stopped and back towards the DJ booth, but they hadn't noticed us yet. I pulled my coat off and dropped it on the ground just as the music kicked in.

"Wow. Momma Said Knock You Out. That somehow seems mildly appropriate." Fidel said.

"He's here!" one of the men exclaimed, and if I had to guess he was the leader. He turned and ran off.

I grabbed one of my kukris, and gave chase. Tuhon, Fidel, and Shai kept the other three busy. I could hear the screams from the panicking and fleeing patrons, but I had drowned that out as I was approaching the door. There are a lot doors in here, most of them closed, a few of them are open. I feel my senses going through the roof again. I can hear talking, but I couldn't make out what was being said. I can hear Kensi voice, and given the tone of her voice she was very sure that the person was about to die.

I sneak through the office space until I was at the office with a light coming from it. I peeked inside and I could see Kensi, just barely though because the man that I came here for was blocking my view. I crawled into the room, and was able to keep from giving myself away. I thought it was strange that all the lights are off, but the man was going to pay dearly for this costly mistake. It was at this moment that I could hear the discharge of energy when the over three people went down, but I could still hear Momma Said Knock You Out playing out in the main room. The man turned around to leave, but I punched in his face. Before he could react, I grabbed him by his hair, stabilizing his body, and then cut his head off.

It took me a few moments to regain my senses, the first thing I heard was Kensi saying my name over and over again.

"Deeks. Deeks. Deeks, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Come on." I said getting back to my feet.

"Where are we going? There's at least four more." she said.

"They have been taken care of. Let's get you a coat." I said.

"I have to ask. Was it your idea, or one of theirs to play Momma Said Knock You Out?" she asked.

"Theirs. Definitely theirs." I said. I pulled out a coat, which happened to woman's coat, and gave it to Kensi. She tried on, and to our surprised it fit her perfectly. "Keep it. The owner won't be needing it again."

"Of all rescues I've seen, or been a part of, I give it top marks in the soundtrack department. Sam is going to be so pissed that he missed this." Kensi said.

"We should not mention this to Sam. Like, ever. Come on." I said, grabbing Kensi hand and then pulled her back out into the main hall.

"I think we closed this place down for good." Shai said

"Where is the rest of the party?" I asked.

"They went their separates ways, as am I. This is yours, and tell Hetty that we'll be in touch." Shai said handing me my coat.

The three of us left. Kensi and I head back to the airport, while Shai exited the country by other means.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS, two days later-

"What do we have Miss Jones?" Hetty asked entering ops.

"I have both Kensi and Deeks entering the country ten minutes ago, but they haven't clear customs yet." Nell said.

"Come, Miss Jones. We have to pick up our wayward agents." Hetty said.

As Hetty was exiting the ops she called after Nell. "Come on Miss Jones. Mr. Beale can hold down the fort while we're gone."

Nell placed the tablet on the console, and ran after Hetty. Eric was entering ops as Nell was leaving. Eric gave her a sideway glance, but remembered that he was expecting a call from Sam and Callen.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

L.A.X.-

Kensi and I were stepping out to the curb as Hetty and Nell were pulling up. "Talk about service with a smile." I said, and then opened the door for Kensi to get in. Kensi slid to the other side of the vehicle and I got in.

"Any messages?" Hetty asked.

"Shai Yota said that everybody would be in touch." I said.

"Uhuh." Hetty said, and we spent the rest of the ride back to OPS in silence.

When we get back to OPS, there's a party waiting for us. There was a round of applause for Kensi safe return, and another round of applause for me bring her home. Sam and Callen welcome Kensi home, and thanked me for bringing her home safely. I could sense that Sam was pissed that I went alone, but kept it to himself because I brought Kensi home safely. I know for a fact that this will drive the wedge even further between us, and I don't care. Over the next few cases I sense that Kensi was no longer trying to gage me abilities, or trying to one up me like she did when we first started working together. She trusts me implicitly, and we spend late nights hanging out. Either at a bar, or at either of our homes.

It's weird two months have passed since I rescued Kensi, and she is willing to follow my lead. Even if we have to be a couple, Kensi will follow my lead. It reminds me of the time we were pretending to be a couple for the first time. We were chasing priceless artifacts that were stolen from Iraq when we invaded in two thousand three. We enter a jewelry store of a person of interest. What I remembered with clarity is the conversation when we got back to OPS later.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Four months ago-

I was fidgeting, like I usually do, and Kensi had enough of it.

" _Would you mind being quiet?_ " she said.

This outburst was something I had never experienced before, so I was a bit baffle at first. " _Are you mad at me?_ " I asked.

" _Dogs go mad. People, people get angry._ " she shot back.

And then I realized the problem. " _Is this about the jewelry store?_ " When she didn't answer right away, I knew this was the crux of the problem. How I was getting all touchy feely, and cuddling up to her, and she had no idea I was going to do any of that. " _I was just trying to sell the fact that we were a couple._ " I said.

" _Yeah, whatever, like anybody would believe that we're a couple._ " she countered.

Kensi lie, not knowing that I was married or who I was married to, stuck a nerve. I shot back without even thinking. " _Right, you are so not my type._ "

This got Kensi attention. It was as if I slapped her in the face. I fidgeted ever so slightly, and returned to my paper work. I could see the wheels in Kensi heard turning, wondering what my statement could mean. If I meant it literally, that the scene earlier was nothing more than a job, or was I trying to get under her skin. " _Would you care to explain—_ " Kensi began, but I cut her off.

" _Found something._ " I said.

I could sense Kensi was still _angry_ with me, but not because of my actions at the jewelry store. When she leaned in to look at what I found, I gave her a sideways look for getting close.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The morning after Kensi and I returned, Nell asked me to meet her for coffee. I gave her the address of the shop that I'm scheduled to use that day, and then made my way there. As I was pulling into parking lot I clocked Nell's car. Nell approached me when I stepped in the door. She positioned herself to see that door that I had entered when we sat down, and I was in position to see that door that was behind her.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I wanted to ask you your opinion." she said.

"Shoot." I said, as I was taking a sip of my coffee.

"What are your thoughts about Eric?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Thoughts, how?" I asked. Nell didn't say anything. She gave me a look as she took another sip of her coffee, and I knew that look very well from my time when I was a married. "He's a little eccentric, which leaves a lot of room for desired, but umm… yeah. If you think it's worth a shot, then go for it." I said.

"Alright." she said.

"Why do you ask?" I asked.

"Eric reminds me of a boy that worked with me back in London all those years ago." she said.

"If it's any consolation, Kensi looks, sounds, and acts like my wife." I said.

"You were married?" she gasped.

"That was a long time ago." I said.

"Kensi has warmed up to you. A lot. She even told me that you laid the smack down to L.L. Cool J's Momma Said Knock You Out when you rescued her." She said.

"Oh, geez." I said.

"You're an instant celebrity for being able pull that off. You have to tell Sam about that. He loves LL Cool J." she continued.

"I'll tell Sam once he no longer hates me." I promised, and then took another sip.

"We need to get to work." Nell said.

We got up and left. Nell followed me to work, and it was a slow trek there. We got there in time, but it was slow. When we get there, and make our way in. Nell pats my arm, and then makes her way up to ops.

"What was that all about?" Callen asked.

"She wanted to ask my opinion on a personal matter." I said.

"Of all the people to ask their personal advice, and she came to you. That's a little strange in my opinion." Sam said.

"Seeing as how she asked Deeks, I'm guessing it doesn't matter." Kensi said.

"That, and Deeks called her Johanna. So there is that." Callen said.

There was a whistle coming from the balcony, and I didn't get a chance to sit down. The case was cut and dry, it last us three days to clear. For the next two months we caught case after case. At the month mark we caught a small break, but it was only for a week and then we were back at it. When the two months had ended we finally caught a break from the onslaught of cases, Hetty gave us three days off. The first week back after the long string of cases, I noticed that I had a tail. No matter what I did, or what I changed, the tail continued to follow me. I checked my equipment, and other things, but I didn't find a bug. The two men drove a gray mustang.

One day I got so fed up them with following that I decided to engage them. I did something that I would usually never do. I went back to the same place. Three. In the same week. Sam is going rip me a new one, and I could really care less. One particular route I run, takes to a thrift store. When I stop in the store, I usually get coffee and a donut. Before I enter the shop, I take a quick spin to see if I spot the mustang, and it was parked behind the store.

I did a quick lap around the block, and then go back into the store. As I entered I saw the clerk, who I knew by name, standing behind the counter. One of the people who was following me was standing in front of the counter with a gun in his hand.

"Hey, Frank. I ran five miles today buddy." I say, picking up a newspaper. I read the paper as I make my way back to get some coffee. "That's a lie, I did three. But I could have done five." I put the paper on the counter, and grab a pot of coffee and a cup to fill. "Is the coffee just like I like? Cold and stale?"

I play it cool, and pretend to notice the gun in the man's hand. I know his partner is in the back. I could easily take them both down, even if one of them gets a shot off. But I need to see who is staking me out. I put the coffee pot back on the warmer, and walk back to the chip rack.

"Got a question for you, Frank. What's the deal with these Funyuns? Why are they more expensive than Cheetos?" I ask grabbing the bag off the rack. "They putting, uh, real fun in there?"

The guy standing at the counter raises his gun to take a shot, but I redirect his gun away from me, and from Frank. I slam the guy's head into the counter, and then I throw a palm strike into his right shoulder, sending him flying into the nearby display. When he hits the ground I'm on him before he can react.

"Turn over!" I scream. I've been through numerous of these arrests, so I help the man go through the motions. I pin his arm behind his back with enough force to make him grunt in pain. "Stay down!" I ordered.

At this time the partner comes running up behind me, and Frank exclaims. "Behind you."

I turn around just in time to see the second guy raise his gun and pull the trigger. I feel the bullet hit just beneath the rib cage on my left side. I feel myself fall to the ground in slow motion. I'm lying on the ground in excruciating pain, _I hate being shot!_ I think, and I'm beginning to wonder when this idiot is going to come over, and attempt to finish the job. I see him approach me with his gun drawn. He has it aimed at my head, and we're both staring each other down for what seems like an eternity. The next thing that happened was the guy hesitate ever so slightly, and then pull the trigger. I felt the bullet enter my right shoulder, and then I blacked out.


	26. Chapter 26

Later that morning at Ops, Sam and Callen were talking about the places in the world where a James Bond movie has been filmed, and then the two partners where ragging on Kensi about bragging how she got hit on at the gym. But that all changed when Hetty walked over to the bull pen.

"Morning, Hetty." Sam said.

Kensi was still chuckling about her morning at the gym, and then Hetty dropped the bomb. "Deeks has been shot."

There was a moment of silence while Hetty's news sunk in. Probably wondering how a spook got shot. "How is he?" Kensi asked in a very somber tone.

"He was taken to Pacific Beach Medical, and is already out of surgery." Hetty said.

"When?" Sam asked.

"This morning at Sandune Convenience Store on Culver Boulevard." Hetty said.

"Let's take my car." Sam said.

"It would be a waste to have multiple agents guarding a person of interest this early in the case. I think your particular skills would be better served at the crime scene." Hetty said.

"Hetty, uh… Deeks is my second partner to get shot. So I would really like to be there." Kensi said.

Hetty was debating whether or not if she should to tell Kensi that I was going to be fine. "Look, last time I wasn't there for my partner. He was dead the next time I saw him. So please, okay?" Kensi pleaded.

"I think your partner would want you there when he wakes up." Hetty said.

Sam nodded for Callen to follow him, and then left. "Keep us posted." Callen said as he was leaving.

"Okay." Kensi said to Callen. To Hetty. "Thank you."

N.C.I.S.

Sandune Store-

Callen and Sam got to the crime scene. They talk to both the detective in charge, and the store owner. The picture of what happened didn't make any sense. The picture wasn't clear, but it would be when they got back to Ops.

"You all right?" Callen asked.

"Deeks is a pain in the ass, but he doesn't deserve this." Sam said.

"No one does." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Pacific Beach Medical-

Kensi was relieve to see that I had been placed in a room, but was stopped by a nurse. "We were going to call his family, but there was no next of kin listed. Is there someone you can call?" she asked.

It took Kensi a moment. She had been working with me for some time now, and she never really thought to ask about my immediate family. "I don't know." Was all Kensi could come up with. Kensi left, and went to sit by my bed side, but the nurse saw the look in Kensi eye. When Kensi entered my room, she was taken back by the fact that my wounds weren't dressed. Let alone the fact that the holes from where the bullets entered weren't there.

Kensi left to get a look at the surgeons report, and saw that I was shot in the right shoulder, and rib cage on the left side. When she went back to look at my body to find the wounds, Kensi was still in shock that the bullet wounds had healed so quickly. If anything Kensi was glad that I was okay, but unnerved by this turn of events.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Ops-

Callen and Sam were walking through the door to ops when Eric began speaking. "The cameras were too far away for an ID, but they do tell us that the men spent seven minutes before Deeks entered. I'm pulling up traffic cam footage for the nearest intersection for the same time."

"Same gray Mustang" Callen said.

"That's them." Sam said.

"No clear angle for an ID." Eric said.

"Why so long in the store?" Callen asked. "Seven minutes? That's an eternity for a heist."

"Get in, take the cash, get out." Sam said.

"Mr. Beale, would please pull up 1894 Parkson Avenue? Traffic cam at the west end of the street." Hetty said.

"What are we looking at here?" Sam asked.

"Footage an hour before the shooting, please." Hetty said.

Eric brought up the video footage of an apartment complex, and ran it back to the allotted time. There was only one person on screen.

"That's Deeks' place." Callen said.

"Just pull that address off the top of your head?" Sam asked.

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't keep track of my agents. And by the way, you're over-watering your lawn." Hetty countered

Eric and Nell shared a quick look at Hetty's admission. "I prefer a lush lawn." Sam quipped.

"Eric, stop. Back up the video. Zoom in and enhance the bottom left." Callen said. When Eric brought up the footage they got a good look at the car. "Gray Mustang."

Sam and Callen shared a look. It was become clear that the gray Mustang was following me. "Those guys in the Mustang were waiting for him." Sam said.

"Deeks didn't stumble on any robbery. He was ambushed." Callen said.

Nell could see the looks on everybody's face, and knew that this was the moment she was supposed to speak up.

"Uh… it wasn't an ambush." Nell said quickly.

"What do you mean Miss Jones?" Hetty asked, caught off guard by Nell's statement. To say that everybody wasn't expecting Nell to say that was an understatement.

"Deeks wasn't ambushed, or fell into a trap. He's buying time for us to figure out what's going on." Nell continued.

"What are you saying? That Deeks willing wandering into that store knowing that they were waiting for him?" Callen asked.

"That was a stupid idea." Sam said.

"Eric go back to the street corner, six o'clock in the morning, but last week." Nell said.

Eric typed in the information, and the footage was brought up on screen. It was early in the morning, so Eric adjust the video output so they could see the picture better. But it didn't matter. That same gray Mustang was waiting for me when I left my apartment

"Nell, how long has this been going on?" Hetty asked.

"According to Deeks, and the footage I saw, two weeks." Nell said.

Sam and Callen looked at each, but the both had the same look on their face. They were beginning to wonder what this was really about. I had been changing my routine for two weeks, but these guys were still able to find me.

"What did you find Miss Jones?" Hetty asked.

"Just before Deeks starts getting tailed by the men in the gray Mustang, I found this man keeping an eye on Deeks, but I can never get a clear picture of the man." Nell said as she was bringing up an obscure picture of a man.

"Someone was spying on Deeks, and he didn't have a clue." Sam said.

"Deeks walked into that store knowing that they were there. And then gets shot because he figure out that they were up to something. Crazy man" Callen said.

"Only one man knows what's going on. Let's go pay him a visit." Sam said.

"Let's call Kensi and get an update." Callen said, as he was pulling out his phone to call Kensi.

" _Callen._ " Kensi said when she picked up the phone.

"How is he doing?" Callen asked.

" _Um… Deeks was never in trouble._ " she said.

"How so?" he asked.

" _Deeks was shot twice. Once in the shoulder and in the rib cage, but what's weird is that fact that his wounds are already healed._ " she said.

Callen took a moment to digest what he just heard. Nobody can heal from multiple gunshot wounds quickly. _How the?_ Callen thought, but Kensi continued speaking. " _Anything on your end_?"

"Sam gray Mustang that was at the crime scene was found outside of Deeks' apartment." he said.

There was a pause as Callen's words sunk in. " _Then it wasn't just a robbery._ " she said.

"It's a little more complicated than that. Visitation hours are over. You're on protection detail now. Sam and I are headed your way." he said.

" _Okay. Uh, Callen, who is Deeks' next of kin?_ " Kensi asked.

"That's a good question." Callen said, and then hung up the phone.

"Eric's using Kaleidoscope to look for that Mustang. If we're lucky we'll get a hit." Sam said.

Callen looked at Hetty as he was making his next statement, and then he remember something Hetty said earlier. " _He was taken to Pacific Beach Medical, and is already out of surgery._ " _Hetty knew that Deeks was going to pull through_. Callen thought. "The nurse said that Deeks was going to pull through."

"One never gets used to the idea of losing an agent, on duty or off. Go make him safe." Hetty said.

"Oh, Hetty, the hospital wanted to know who to put down for Deeks' next of kin." Callen said.

"Good question." Hetty said.

Callen gave Hetty a look, but thought it was better to leave it alone. The partner's left ops, and it wasn't until they were in the Audi when Callen told Sam about his conversation with Kensi.

"Deeks, and Hetty, are both hiding something." Callen said.

"How so?" Sam asked.

"Kensi looked at the report, and read that Deeks had been shot twice." Callen said.

"Okay, and?" Sam asked.

"Kensi said that the wounds weren't dressed because they had already healed." Callen said.

Sam didn't have a response. All he did was stare at Callen in disbelief, and then an idea crossed Sam's mind. "He's lucky he's not dead because I'm going to kill him."

"Oh, cut him some slack. More importantly, for what?" Callen asked.

"What was he thinking? Leaving at the same time, running the same route. Buying coffee from the same store. _He_ knows better." Sam said.

"Deeks does. That's why he went back to the same route. He also spotted that gray Mustang two weeks ago. He even had the foresight to tell Nell about being tailed by the Mustang. If I had to guess, that if it was up to him, Deeks wouldn't have gone to the hospital." Callen said.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Deeks took two shots. One to the right shoulder, the other in the rib cage on the left side. The rib cage could have killed him, but the most important part he has no wounds from being shot. If I had to guess Deeks was the bait." Callen said.

The partners rode the rest of the way to the hospital in silence.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Pacific Beach Medical-

As I was regaining consciousness, I can feel the anxiety coming off of someone in waves. I pretty certain that I have a lot of explaining to do, and I'm not in the mood to do so right now. I have to get out of this place, and get to Kensi. When I open my eyes I see Kenzie, and I'm taken back to the time I was injured and she nursed back to health.

"Hey, babe." I said.

"Who are you calling babe?" Kenzie said.

When my eyes fully adjusted, I realized that I was talking Kenzie with an -si, not -zie. I felt like crap because I thought I was talking to my wife, and not my partner. "Just a skeleton in the closet." I said, grunting as I sat up.

"Some skeleton. You want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Nothing to talk about. Where's the rest of the gang?" I asked.

"They're on the way. Want to explain that." she said.

It took me a moment to realize that she was talking the lack of bullet holes in my chest. I probably got a lot of weird looks from the staff as well. At the moment a nurse had walking to check in on me. "Hi." she said.

"Uh, I'm sorry. Security. Can I see your ID please?" Kensi said.

"Oh." she said.

Now don't get me wrong the nurse was definitely a looker, but Kensi had her beat by a long shot. _I think I'm to tease Kensi._ I thought with a sly grin.

"You're awake." she said. I caught a quick glance at her badge, and saw that her name was Debbie, but I'm still going to roll with it. "Yeah."

"How do you feel?" she asked, adjusting the IV.

"Oh, better and better." I said, with a small smile.

"Pain-relief button, call button. Okay, Mr. Deeks?" she asked, pointing at the two buttons that would become my best friend until I leave.

"You can call me Marty." I say blatantly flirty with her.

"If you need anything, I'll be right outside." she said with a big grin on her face.

"Thank you, Nurse, uh…" I begin. She flashes me her badge and another smile while she chuckles my advances. "Debbie. Nurse Debbie."

After Debbie had left my room, I saw Kensi raise her eyebrows at me. "What?" I asked.

"What?" she said.

"What?" I said.

Kensi chuckles, while asking. "What is with guys and nurses?"

"What are you talking about? They're helpful and they're caring." I say. I'm doing everything I can not to laugh because the net part is going to get Kensi all riled up. "You know, they do the whole sponge-bath thing."

"Oh come—I should shoot you myself." she threatened.

"I'll pass, and get in line." I countered

From the look on her face, plus the fact that she took a deep breath to clear her head, Kensi was fighting back some emotional outburst. So I decided to change the subject to more pressing matters. "You guys catch my shooter yet?" I asked.

"Working on it." she said, and I could see her visibly relax.

"And?" I continue.

"What makes you think there's an "and"?" she asked.

"You heightened security, you're checking badges. You're obviously expecting unwanted visitors." I said.

There was a moment a silence. Kensi turn to make sure nobody was approaching, or standing right outside, and then approached my bed. "The guys who shot you this morning, ahem, did you recognize them?" she asked.

"No. Never seen them before. And I know that I didn't walk in on a robbery." I said.

Kensi mouth almost hit the floor. "How did you know?" was all she could come up with.

"I'm still wondering why anybody has asked the pertinent question yet." I said.

"If they were after you why didn't they just attack you at home?" she asked.

"Yep." I said, popping the P.

"Do you have any ideas?" Kensi asked.

"Just one, but I'm waiting until Sam and Callen get here." I said.

There was a moment of silence before either of us spoke. The silence was punctuated by Kensi taking a breath, and then asking. "Is there anyone you want me to contact?" More silence. It's a strange question to be asked because I've asked dozens of times, except this time there isn't anyone to call. "Friends, family…. Girlfriend?" she asked.

"Not dying, am I?" I asked.

I saw Kensi shake her head before answering. "Not yet."

"Okay." I said.

"Next of kin?" she continued.

I pause for a second, and then answer. "Good question."

I know for certain she wouldn't believe me if I said that Hetty was the closest thing I have to family.

Outside the hospital, Sam and Callen were parking. As they were heading into the hospital, Callen got a call from Eric. "Eric." Callen answered.

" _Kaleidoscope got a hit on our Mustang._ " Eric said.

"Where?" Callen asked.

" _Just outside Pacific Beach Medical. Callen, he's right there._ " Eric said.

Callen hung up the phone, and pulled sidearm. "Sam, gray Mustang, two suspects."

"They're coming to finish the job." Sam said.

The partners walking into the path of the approaching Mustang, and trained the weapons on the vehicle. "Federal agents!" Sam shouted.

The vehicle came to a sudden stop, and then the passenger got out. He fired one round as he was running away from the car. Sam and Callen took cover as the driver was firing, and his partner fired off a few shots as well. The driver peeled out as he threw the vehicle in reverse, at which point Sam and Callen left cover, and fired on the Mustang. The passenger fired few more round, and Callen fired a few in his direction, but he dove over a handrail. Callen and Sam cornered the driver after he blew his tired out on a set of spikes. As the driver was getting out, he got one shot off before Callen and Sam both shot, and killed him.

Callen and Sam were at the crime scene for an hour before they could get away. The detective in charge of the scene was the same detective from earlier, and he was very helpful. He was willing to give Sam and Callen anything and everything they wanted, including a list of suspects that could be after me. Callen's phone was ringing as the detective walked away.

"What do you got Eric?" Callen asked.

" _Positive ID on the driver. Carlos Guzman, he's a South L.A. gang member who's been linked to three non-gang-related murders. He usually works with a buddy by the name of Santo Perez. I sent the file to your smart phone._ " Eric said, and then hung up.

Callen looked at the photo, and then showed it to Sam. "It's our passenger from the Mustang." Callen said.

Sam looked the photo once and then asked. "Guns for hire?"

"Sounds like it. Question is, who hired them?" Callen asked, as he was putting away his phone.

"Maybe the patient upstairs might be able to shed some light on the subject." Sam said. The partners entered the hospital, asked the nurse for my room, and then made their way there.

I saw Sam had a pouch in his hands, most likely a gun, as the approached my bed. I didn't miss the look of disbelief when Callen and Sam saw me without bandages on my body. "Took you two long enough to get here" I said.

"Hetty had us chasing our tails, looking for leads that aren't there." Callen said.

"From Hetty." Sam said.

"By now you've already found the gray Mustang that has been following me?" I asked, pulling the gun out of the pouch. I checked to make sure there was a round in the chamber, and then put it back in the pouch.

"I'm sorry. Gray Mustang?" Kensi asked.

"Deeks knew that he was being followed by two guys in the Mustang, but what he didn't know was that he was being watched by another party. Possible the man who hired them." Sam said.

"That would explain the fact that they found me, no matter what time I left my apartment." I said.

Callen pulled out his phone, and then showed me two photos. "You recognize either of these guys? Gang members. This one's deceased." Callen said when he showed me the second photo.

"Other than the one that used me for target practice, no." I said.

"Any idea who would come after you?" Sam asked.

"Any other day of the week I would say that we wouldn't be doing our jobs correctly if a few people don't want us dead, but this time you're asking the wrong person that question." I said.

"Ha. Pfft. Humble brag." Kensi spouted out.

"We'll let him slide" Sam said, coming to my defense. _Whoa._ I thought.

"Considering he's been shot." Callen said.

"Humble what?" I asked, looking back at Kensi.

There was a moment of silence, and all Kensi could do was crack a smile and look away.

"One of Kensi's bad habits." Sam said.

I can see Kensi was ready to hurt the two men, but I kept it going. I love to see Kensi squirm. "You mean like when she complains about something really positive." I ask.

"Exactly." Sam said.

"Like when she says her size-two jeans are too baggy on her?" I ask, not giving a crap that I was giving my partner a lot of crap.

"That's not what I meant. That's—" Kensi began, but I cut her off.

"Ha, ha." I chuckled.

"Okay, did you see the shooter or not?" Kensi said, getting back to the subject at hand.

"Small guy, small gun. About 5'7", wiry, pretty fast." I said, and then looked over at Sam and Callen.

"Fits Santo's description." Sam said.

"You know, for gang members, that's not a lot of fire power. It looked like a .22. That's gonna get you laughed at in the streets." I said.

"The driver must have gunned up." Callen said.

"Found a .45 caliber with Rhinos on the driver." Sam said.

"Somebody doesn't really like you Deeks." Callen said.

"Yeah, why didn't get it right the first time? And if I was really the target, why didn't the attack me in my apartment, as opposed to in that store?" I asked.

"You know something?" Sam asked.

"If I was the target, there would have been two suspects in custody, but they didn't want me." I said.

"What are you saying?" Kensi asked.

"I wouldn't do the same exercise routine twice in the same week." I said.

Sam and Callen shared a look, but Callen changed the subject. "This place is crawling with L.A.P.D. You should be safe." Callen said.

"Yeah, who's going to protect me from her?" I asked, adjusting myself in the bed.

"Ha. Oh, I think he's feeling better." Kensi quipped.

"After you recover, you and I are gonna talk." Sam said.

I was stupefied by what I just heard, but I didn't get to respond because Sam started to walk away. "Hey, if you see Nurse Debbie out there, will you, uh—?" I began, and stopped to get their full attention. When then turned to face me I continued. "Will you ask her when I get my sponge bath?"

I had a sly grin on my face when Kensi said. "Definitely feeling better. Yeah."

Callen laughed as he and Sam left. When the partners were getting in Callen's car Sam spoke up. "Something doesn't add up."

"Why?" Callen asked.

"If they wanted Deeks, they would have ambushed him in his apartment. Instead, they came after him on the streets. They shot Deeks with .22, but came back with .45's." Sam said.

There was a moment of silence before Callen asked. "What are you thinking?"

"Deeks may be right. Those guys might have been somebody else on the team." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Two hours later Sam and Callen had Santos at the boat she for questioning. It was quick and easy. Callen waited outside, while Sam question Santos. "Assault and battery, armed robbery, attempt murder. That's quite a resume, Santo." Sam said, looking over Santo's rap sheet.

"What can I say? I'm an overachiever." Santo said.

"Who hired you and your buddy to shoot the guy in the store?" Sam asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Santo said.

"Third strike, Santo. The guy you shot was a federal agent." Sam said.

Santo almost went white as a sheet when he found out I was in law enforcement. "Oh. The guy who hired you didn't tell you that, huh?" Sam said.

Santo decided to play it quiet, in ordered to go down with some dignity. Which didn't last long. "Give me his name. I might be able to help you. Maybe reduce your sentence." Sam said.

Santo was quiet for a few seconds. "You think you know what's going down, but you don't know nothing." Santo said.

"Enjoy you vacation in Chino." Sam said, after a few seconds.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Pacific Beach Medical-

Nell went to the hospital. To play the recording of the phone call that Callen had made to the person who paid Santo and Carlos to shoot me. They were about to do something that didn't surprise me in the least.

"It doesn't sound familiar." I said.

Kensi walked around to the bed to go stand next Nell. "You got something?" Nell asked

"Ugh. I can't put my finger on it." Kensi said.

"You recognize the voice?" I asked.

"Not the voice, the accent." Kensi said.

"Yeah, I'm pretty certain it's Eastern European, maybe Russian." Nell said.

It took me all of two seconds to place the accent." It's not Russian." I said.

Kensi and Nell stared blankly at me. "Then what is it?" Kensi asked.

"It's Chechen." I said.

"That's why the accent sound so familiar. Well, we'll find out soon enough. Callen's on his way to meet with the guys." Kensi said.

I roll my eyes, and then Nell took her leave. "What time is the meeting?" I asked.

"Three." Kensi said.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was over an hour away. That hour comes and goes, and there was no word of what happened at the meeting. Kensi called for an update. When she didn't get anything, Kensi remembered something I said. "What?" I asked.

"If they wanted you, they would have come after you in your house. Which means that they didn't want you, they want one of us." she said.

"Kensi, don't leave." I said.

"Why? If there is a chance that I could save their lives, I have warn them." Kensi said.

"He doesn't want them, or we would have heard back from them already—Kensi!" I shout out as Kensi ran out the door. I grab my gun, and my phone. I'm calling Callen to give him an update on the situation as I'm running out of the room.

I never really hated stairs before, but I that I had to get to the ground floor quickly. Even though I didn't have to contend with the bullet wounds bleeding again, the pain from being shot still hurts. I'm out of breath by the time I make it to the ground floor. The pain was so great that I could barely breathe, but I couldn't stop. I hobbled out the door in time to see a man with a gun trained on Kensi. I have some horrible vision of what would happen if this man succeeded in abducting Kensi, so I raise my gun and fire three rounds into the man. He wouldn't die instantly, and I bet he wish he could. Kensi was taking out the men that trying to abduct her, I head back into hospital. I found the doctor that worked on me, and told her that I want my clothes. It took all of five minutes to get my gear, and disappear into the wind. Kensi, Callen and Sam went back into the hospital looking for me, but the nurse told them that I had left.

"Checked out A.M.A." Sam said.

"The only reason Deeks stayed here was because he was able to keep an eye on Kensi personally." Callen said.

The senior partners look at Kensi a beat. "What?" Kensi said.

"This entire time Deeks knew you were the reason he was here." Sam said.

"And you two didn't figure it out either." Kensi said.

"She's not wrong." Callen said, and the three agents head back to OPS.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

The sun was beginning to set when Eric had finished compiling the data. Eric and Nell were coming down from ops to a bull pen that was contained Hetty, Sam, Callen and Kensi. People were wondering about where I had disappeared, but it got shelved when Nell and Eric walked in.

"Our Chechen terrorist known only as Vakar." Eric said.

"Must have thought you could lead him to his wife and son." Sam suggested.

Kensi motion to the screen, while Eric brought up three photo's on the screen. "Joshua Mastin and his mother, Emma." Kensi said.

"Former Chechen Shahidka, or in English, Black Widow." Eric continued.

"When I was relocating them after the first attempt to kill her, she told me he'd try again." Kensi said.

"She was right." Eric said.

"But he had to find you first." Callen said.

"Deeks." Sam said.

"This isn't Deeks fault." Hetty stepped in. "He had no way of knowing that Vakar would go this far."

"I like to know how Deeks was able to tell the difference between Chechen and Russian. Even I couldn't tell the difference at first." Kensi said.

"Really?" Sam asked.

Kensi nodded her head.

"Deeks was able to tell, just by listening that the accent was Chechen." Callen said.

"Nell." Kensi said, asking for back up.

"Yes. I was in the room when he said that the accent was Chechen." Nell said, backing Kensi's story.

"Now why would he know that?" Callen asked. It wasn't long before the Kensi, Sam, Callen, Nell and Eric were looking at Hetty.

"One word. Spook." Hetty said, and then left the bull pen.

"She sure is a fast reader." Sam said.

"Fast reader?" Eric asked.

"Every case is a book that is already written." Callen said.

"And Hetty is always a few pages ahead of everybody." Nell said.

"Ah." Eric said, and then head back up to ops.

Sam and Callen went home for the night, leaving only Nell and Kensi in the bull pen.

"So will you tell them?" Nell asked.

Kensi chuckled before answering. "I wish I could. Three days after I relocated them with new identities, they vanished."

Nell left the bull pen, and they Kensi left shortly after that.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

An unknown location-

Vakar was waking up from after being out for about six hours ago. He got up off the ground and then went over to a window. The sun had set, and the moon was high in the night sky. Vakar heard a sound behind him, and he turn to see someone behind him.

"Who are you?" Vakar asked.

"Who I am is of no consequence to you. All you need to know that you have used a gift that was given to you unwisely." a woman said.

"This is a gift?" he asked.

"Your opinion on the matter is inconsequential. I've taken upon myself to prevent anomalies like you, myself, and others like us from running rampant and screwing up the natural order on this planet." she said.

"And how exactly do you expect that to happen." he asked.

"I'm not going to. He is." The woman said.

Vakar turned to see that he was face to face with his executioner. His eyes almost jumped out of his head when he saw that I was going to killing him. In one fluid motion, I grabbed the man by his head and cut his head off.

Outside, Hetty was approached by Detective Williams. "What can I do for you detective?" she asked.

"What's the story this time?" Todd asked.

"The same as always." Hetty said, and then left.

Todd didn't enter the warehouse until I came out. "Todd." I said, greeting the detective as I exited.

"Deeks." Todd returned the greeting, and then entered the warehouse.


	27. Chapter 27

The following day Sam wanted to meet up. What it could be about is beyond me, so I play along. I'm not exactly sure what could be so important that we have to meet, but I was told to meet him at the same coffee shop that I met Macy at a few years ago. Sam arrived one minute after the shop had opened, but I had made a friend with one of the employees. I was already in the door before Sam had arrived. I had my coffee, a newspaper, and I was sitting at table by the window. Two minutes later, Sam came walking in the door opposite the one I came in. I noticed him scan the tables, and keep moving. The fact that I was seated near to another person who somehow resembled me must have thrown Sam. That or he wasn't expect me to show up before him. I continued to drink my coffee and reading the newspaper, while I periodically watch Sam from my vantage point. From where I'm seated I can see both doors, and the backdoor that employees use to take the garbage out.

Sam was through the line in record time, and then made his way towards me. Sam sits at the table right next me, and we sit there for like twenty minutes. The entire time he never realized time I was sitting right next to him. When Sam started to complain about my punctuality, I decided to correct him.

"Please tell me this isn't about being on time, or security protocol. Because if that's the case it seems that you will need a lesson in people watching." I said, closing and folding the newspaper up.

"How long have you been there?" he asked, in shock.

"I arrived when the shop opened." I said.

"That's impossible." he said.

"You pull into the parking lot one minute after the shop had opened." I said.

Sam was taken back by my admission. He wasn't expect me to show up before he did. "Now do you want to shock me with the truth of this meeting. I have other duties to attend to before work." I said.

"What kind of duties?" he asked.

"Something Hetty asked me to look into." I said.

"You thought of everything didn't you?" he asked, disgusted by my attitude.

"I didn't see Vakar coming." I said.

"Yet you knew that you were being followed, and had the forethought to involve Nell. Anything else you want to share?" he asked.

"If this is about trusting the team, you need to learn how to trust me. I've seen more than your entire military and secret agent career combined. The entire time we were chasing Vakar not once did it occur to you that I was nothing more than bait, meant to draw Kensi out. I've been a part of other teams before, so I know how to trust and rely on other people. I just need to know if this team is going to show me the same." I said.

I can tell Sam wanted to argue. From the look on his face I can tell that I just wrecked his whole plan. Before Sam could argue, our phones buzzed. We checked our phones, and saw that we were needed at Ops.

"Let's go." Sam said sternly.

I put my newspaper in my bag, grab my coffee, and leave. The drive to OPS was slowed by morning rush hour, something I wanted to miss, but things rarely go as planned. I didn't follow closely behind Sam. I give him a three car lead, all the while I was checking my mirrors. As the two of us we're pulling into the motor pool at OPS, Callen and Kensi were heading to the door. Callen walked over to Sam's car as he was parking. _Probably to ask how the meeting went._ I thought, And Kensi was waiting for me as I was parking. I wanted to mess with Kensi, but seeing as how Sam is still upset about our morning meeting I decided against it. I noticed Kensi had looked over at Sam and Callen just as I was shutting off the engine.

"How did it go?" she asked as I was getting out of the car

"Not good." I said.

"Eh." she said.

"Sam said that I need to learn to trust the team, which I can do. I have no problems being a part of this team." I said.

"But." Kensi said. She knows me well enough to sense there was something negative that I was hiding.

"The team needs to trust me." I said.

"I trust you." she said.

"You say that now." I said.

"Hey. I trust you with my life. What could make me doubt your commitment to us?" she asked.

"Us? What do you mean us? Us as in the whole team, or us as in our partnership?" I asked.

"I trust your commitment to the team, and to me. I know that you will come through for us." Kensi said.

"I just received word from Hetty. Our next operation is going to take us out of state." Callen said, as he and Sam approached us.

"Do you have any details?" Kensi asked.

"No. Hetty will give us a general briefing when head inside." Sam said.

"And the full briefing?" I asked.

"That won't happen until we arrive on site." Callen said.

"I know that I haven't been with the team very long, but I learned from experienced that if we only get _cliff notes_ version of the mission at first, it's going to be an ugly mission." I said.

"Duly noted." Callen said, and then led the way.

The four of us dropped our gear at our desks, and then we head up to ops. The moment I stepped into ops, the doors shut and then window shutters closed. It was all hands on deck because Director Vance was on the big screen.

"Director Vance." Callen greet.

"Director." Both Sam and Kensi greeted.

" _Agent Callen, Hanna and Blye. And who is this new agent I haven't had the pleasure of meeting._ " Vance said.

"My name is Agent Martin Deeks. I was undercover in L.A.P.D. while this department was being formed." I said.

" _It's a pleasure._ " Vance said.

"Likewise." I said.

"You have the mission documents?" Sam asked.

" _Seventy-two hours ago, an oil rig off the coast of Texas went offline. We have negotiators standing by in case the terrorist have a lists of demands, but so far they haven't called. And when we try to call, no one answers the phone._ " Vance said.

"Who owns the rig?" Callen asked.

"Some oil company based out of Idaho" Eric said.

"Did we get any video footage of the terrorist boarding the rig?" Sam asked.

" _Yeah, just before the cameras went offline, we were able to pull this symbol off one of the terrorists. Miss Jones._ " Vance said.

Nell brought up symbol on the screen, pushing Director Vance's video box to the side. The symbol was a wheel with sixteen spokes in it. "It's the Romani wheel." Callen said.

"What do the Romani have to do with this?" Kensi asked.

" _Agent Deeks._ " Vance said.

"Yes." I said.

" _I've heard that you have a lot of experience over in Europe and Asia. Is there anything that you want to add to this discussion?_ " Vance asked.

"What's the official story being put out to the press? A random terrorist group just happened to pick that oil rig at random. Now that they have total control, they're going to keep quiet until the last possible moment?" I asked.

" _I don't have the official story, Agents Deeks. The mission documents are what I was given by Sec. Nav._ " Vance said.

"Okay. If this is some random heist, why are we being called in handle the problem instead of a military special ops team?" I asked.

"What are you saying?" Callen asked.

"We, a federal task force, are being mobilized to run an op that is usually left to the military." I said.

"What are you saying, that the terrorists are funded by a private organization to get something off that rig?" Sam asked.

"I'm guessing that if terrorists take over a target like an oil rig, they usually call in the military to handle the problem. Isn't that the usual protocol?" I ask.

"Director." Hetty said.

" _Sec Nav said that this came from the president. And I was told to put my best team on it._ " Vance said.

"Sir, with all due respect, someone is withholding information." I said. I know this to be true because of the patch with the wheel on it. _Historically that wheel is the Romani wheel, but the history that I've witness, that wheel is linked to the group Cypher._ I thought.

"You know something we don't Deeks?" Hetty asked.

"This is to clean to be a hostile takeover of the oil rig, sir. There hasn't been a peep of it on the news." I said.

"I hate to admit it, but if there was a hostile takeover it would have been all over the news." Kensi said.

"Unless…" Callen said.

"It's a black site." Sam said.

"In which case, Mr. Deeks is right. If you sending my team, we're going to need a full disclosure on this Leon." Hetty said.

" _I can't do that Hetty._ " Vance said.

"Why not?" Eric asked.

"It won't matter." I said.

"Why?" Nell asked.

"Let's say that hostile takeover is funded by a private group. There will already be a fabricated story that will be given to the press for when we succeed, and it is the same story that Director Vance was given." I said.

"Come to think of it. A hostile takeover of an oil rig seems a little strange." Kensi said.

"So what do we do?" Callen asked.

" _I was given an order to send in a team to take back the rig._ " Vance said.

"Are there going to be other teams attempting to take back the rig?" Sam asked.

" _No._ " Vance said.

"How many terrorists?" Callen asked.

" _Five, ten maybe. I wasn't give the specifics of the mission._ " Vance said.

"When do we leave?" I asked, knowing that asking for more information is pointless

" _Military transport leaves from Camp Pendleton in two hours._ " Vance said, and motioned off screen for someone to kill the feed.

"Grab your gear." Hetty said.

When we got to the armory everybody was quiet. We packed the essentials for the coming raid, but my mind was elsewhere. For some reason I can't shake the feeling that this is about stopping a heist

"Deeks." Callen said.

"Yeah." I said looking up from my bag.

"What makes you think this is a black site, and not just some random oil rig?" Callen asked.

"If I may." Kensi said.

"Shoot." Sam said.

"Who would have the balls to strong arm America out of one its oil rigs?" Kensi asked.

"Fair point, but that doesn't answer the question." Callen said.

"The patch on the terrorist uniform." I said.

"The Romani wheel, what about it?" Sam asked.

"By most historical accounts that wheel has, and always has been associated with the Romani." I said.

"But…" Kensi said.

"Some historical records weren't recorded to protect the groups' anonymity." I said.

"Meaning?" Kensi asked.

"Certain parts of history were conveniently left out by an unknown organization to protect it from scrutiny." Hetty said entering the armory.

"Yes, exactly." I said.

"And you know this group?" Callen asked.

"Yes, I have had dealings with the group in the past. I made the jump to N.C.I.S from the C.I.A. because the group had infiltrated the agency." I said.

"The group could easily get oil from one of the O.P.E.C. nations." Hetty said.

"Then why lie about the about the takeover?" Sam asked.

"Because whatever the purpose of that rig is, the owners don't want the truth leaking out to the press, and the public." Callen said.

I nodded at Callen, and we finished gearing up. We head to the parking garage, and load our gear into a suv. Sam drove to Pendleton, and then we caught a C-130 to a base in Texas. When we stepped off the plane, we were pulled into another briefing.

"There have been a change of plans. Agents Callen, Hanna, and Blye will dropped off on the helipad. Agent Deeks, there is situation that requires you to enter through the submerged dock. Follow these men, and they will give you the lay out of the plan." a man in a uniform said.

The team was split up, and Callen started to argue. "Relax Callen." I said.

"But, Deeks…" Sam continued to argue.

"Relax. It will all be just fine. Trust me. Take this Kensi." I said handing something to Kensi.

"Okay." she said.

We were taken to separate rooms to get our gear. I get a crash course in scuba diving, even though I didn't have a tank. I was instructed not to take my guns. They were informed about my kukris and said they would suffice. They gave me a skull suit, and strapped my kukris to it. The suit felt a little tight, but it was still comfortable. I was given a disposable helmet with a built-in rebreather, and then I was taken back to the hanger bay.

I wait before getting on the helicopter that would take us to the rig. I was given instruction on how to board the rig. A few minutes Callen, Sam and Kensi boarded.

"What's with the fancy suit?" Callen asked.

"It's a skull suit." Sam said.

"A what?" Kensi asked.

"A skull suit. It's a special suit given to operatives that go on top secret missions. It monitors the vitals of the wearer, and it helps with wound management. Nice hardware, too." Sam said, when he spotted my kukris.

"How long have you had those puppies?" Callen asked.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." I said.

"You were shot just yesterday, and you don't have any wounds to show for the injuries. Try us." Kensi said.

"This isn't the time to discuss that. Look at that piece of paper." I said.

Kensi opened it, and it had some writing on it. "141.12?" Kensi asked.

"It's a radio frequency." Sam said.

"We each have our own mission, but that frequency is a direct line to me, and it isn't linked into the mission computer." I said.

"What kind of trouble are you expecting?" Sam asked.

"I have to go in through the ocean, while you three board from the helipad. My guess: it's pretty serious." I said.

Just as I finished speaking the doors on the helicopter shut, and then we were lifted off the pad. The plan was for me to drop into the ocean a mile away from the rig, and swim the rest of the way there. The rig was ten miles from shore. When we were a mile away from the rig, I opened the door and jump out. Lucky enough, I was only seven feet from the surface. I activate the suits external lights, and swam the rest of the way to the rig.

Ten minutes later, I heard Kensi say. " _We just landed, and making our way towards the rally point. Let us know when you board the rig_."


	28. Chapter 28

As I was swimming towards the rig, I came upon a perimeter fence. From what I could tell, even though the water was murky and the sun had set, the fence barely broke the surface of the water. What I saw next put me on the edge. When I approached the fence, I saw a hole big enough to accommodate a grown man, minus their tank. I fit perfectly, but I can almost guarantee that Sam would have problems getting his frame through. The first thought going through my head after clearing the fence is how there aren't supposed to be any other teams involved in this mission. I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen when I board that rig, but it proved my earlier thought about this mission being screwed from the get go. Not much we can do about that now.

Up on the rig, Callen, Sam and Kensi approached a security station. "I'm Special Agent Callen, they're Agents Hanna and Blye. We're with N.C.I.S." Callen said to the security guards.

"Our manager didn't tell us we were getting back up." the male guard said.

" _Deeks was right._ " Sam whispered in Callen's ear.

"How many teams have land before us?" Kensi asked.

"There has already be one other team after the terrorist landed." the male guard said.

"How many terrorist?" Sam asked.

"Ten. Fifteen, when they landed. There had been at least one fire fight, and that was an hour ago." the female security guard said.

"You wouldn't know what this rig is used for?" Sam asked.

"Some kind of R&D, or I wouldn't have taken this job." the male security guard.

" _A black site._ " Sam whispered.

"Can you point us in the directions of the lab?" Callen asked.

At this point, the sat phone that Sam had started ringing. Sam took the call, which last all of ten second. There was no room for argument. "Our orders are to engage the terrorists." Sam said.

"Let's go." Callen.

"Where are the terrorist located at?" Kensi asked.

"Three levels down, far right." The female guard said.

"Thanks." Sam said.

After Sam, Callen, and Kensi left the female guard picked up the phone and made a call. "We got three agents from N.C.I.S. heading your way." Was all she said when the phone pick up on the other end.

Callen and Sam came walking back a few seconds later. "What can we do you for?" the male guard asked.

All the partners did was draw their side arms and train them on the two guards. "What are you doing?" the female guard asked, as they raised the hands.

Kensi stepped into view. "We heard the phone call you just made. We're not exactly sure who you called, but we can't have you tipping off either teams." Kensi secured the guards, and stuffed them in the closet.

Callen pulled his sat phone made the call. " _What is it, Agent Callen?_ " a man from mission control said when he answered.

"There was one other team sent into to neutralize the terrorist. The security guards have alerted either team to our presence on the rig."

" _Proceed as planned. We will try to adjust for the discrepancy._ " The man said, and then hung up phone.

"What did he say?" Sam asked.

"We continue with the mission. They will institute the backup they have if we fail." Callen said.

" _Are You There God? It's Me, Marty._ " I said, finally joining the party.

"Deeks." Sam said.

" _The one and only._ " I said.

"Nice way to make an entrance. Do you have a status update?" Callen asked.

" _Yeah. There is a third party on the rig unaccounted for._ " I said.

"That's a fifth party. There was another team sent into combat the terrorist." Kensi said.

" _Okay. What's the plan?_ " I asked.

"Our official duties are to engage the terrorists, but our presence has been alerted to either team at the moment." Kensi said.

" _I'm moving to the labs. There about three levels above me. Head to the terrorist, but be careful. Either team won't hesitate to shoot first, and ask questions later._ " I said.

"Stay in radio contact." Callen said.

" _Same to you._ " I said.

Sam, Callen, and Kensi made their way down to the terrorist, while I climbed slowly up towards the labs. I found a console, and brought up the schematics of the rig. It was bigger than a normal rig, there was a note on future expansions to add more rigs. But if I had to guess that plan has been scrapped. I found the labs, and saw the people in there. The lab staff had been killed, but I can't get distracted by that. I looked for the terrorist, and found them posted up outside the stairwell that the team is using. "Callen exit the stairwell at the next level. If you exit at the level with the terrorist you will be walking into an ambush." I said.

" _Copy that._ " Sam said.

I make my way to the labs. When I get to the door leading in, I noticed a biometric scanner next to the door: a palm and a retinal scanner. This is going to chew up some time. I look through the window and see a man and a woman at a computer downloading schematics, and I can see a storage unit had also been opened. For some strange reason, I placed my hand on the scanner and it accepted by print. I was weirded out by this turn of events, but I didn't think twice. I placed my eye in front of the scanner, and then I heard a hiss as the door opened. Just as I stepped into the door, one of the people fired two rounds at my head.

"I got this. Take the supplies and schematics and go." I heard a man say.

"But you promised that we would finish this together." his partner said. From the sound of their voice it was a woman.

"I won't be able to do that. He will kill us both." he said.

 _It seems that I'm known to the man I'm about to kill._ I thought, but I was for the shock of a lifetime. "It's been awhile, Ashono MacLeod." the man said.

"You have my attention." I said. I decide to creep over to the storage unit that had been opened. I was able to make out a hazardous materials symbol on the metal frame. I felt my blood go cold, and not because of the missing the materials, there was only one container missing, but because of the revelation that was about to revealed to me.

"It never occurred to why you're still alive, after these four thousand years, as opposed to having rotted away and having your grave desecrated by time" he said.

"You're right, I never bothered to ask. Then again I don't really care to know why I'm still alive. But If I had to guess, you're going to tell me anyways." I said. I listened for where he was in the room, but I missed the woman sneaking out the door while we were conversing. "What special place do you hold in the history of Ashono MacLeod?"

"I'm the man that made you who _you_ are." he said.

It took me a fraction of a second for his words to register, but I too had get out of my hiding spot because the man tried to pin me to the ground by tipping a table over onto me plus the equipment too. I get a good look at the man, not missing the fact that he was carrying a full-length sword. He was about five feet ten inches tall, caucasian male, with a stubbly horseshoe haircut, brown eyes, average frame, and goatee that didn't connect at the corners of the his mouth.

He didn't waste any time, he drew his sword back and swung. This encounter wasn't meant to be a battle of wills, it was meant to be a distraction, to let his partner get away. He put up a bit of a fight, but I stole his sword and cut his head off with little effort. The quickening was upon me in a moment's notice, but it lasted longer than the ones I had experienced before.

A few floors above me, the rest of the team was have problems trying to understand what was going on. "So you're telling us is that there never was a terrorist take over." Sam said.

"Yes and no." one of the scientist said.

"Explain what really happened." Callen said.

"There was a group of ten men that boarded the rig. The tied us up here, and then went down to the lab." another scientist explained.

"And then what?" Sam asked.

"The terrorist group left, but a few people stay behind to accomplish whatever they were sent here to do." Kensi said.

"But Deeks warned us." Sam said.

"That must have been a staging point for them to be extracted. We would have been in a fire fight if they were still there. We need to get in touch with Deeks." Callen said.

"How about we cut the scientist loose, and let them take inventory of the lab?" Sam suggested.

Callen mulled Sam's idea over for a second, and then they started cutting the scientist loose. They went down three floors to the lab. What they saw was a bunch of over turned tables with equipment, and shatter glass. The group heard moaning coming from the quarantine section, and went to check on it.

"Deeks." Kensi said when she saw me trying to get up off the floor.

"What's with the sword?" Sam asked.

"That's not the most pressing question that needs to be answered." I said, pointing at the storage unit with the door still hanging open.

"This is serious, Deeks." Sam said.

"He's not wrong Sam. Look at the metal casing." Callen said.

Sam looked at the casing, and his blood went cold. He was still mad at me for dodging the question, but when Sam saw the hazardous material symbol, he knew that this case just took a turn for the worse.

"Oh, no," said one of the scientist.

"What's wrong?" Kensi asked.

"We stored Brachytherapy containers in this unit." another scientist said, shutting the door quickly.

"What's Brachytherapy?" Callen asked.

"It's low-grade radioactive material." Sam said.

"And they got away with an entire container." I said looking at Sam.

"Is there anything else missing?" Kensi asked a scientist.

"We're taking inventory right now. Give us a moment." she said.

Kensi took stock of the team, but realized that I was still a little sluggish. I had just taken a seat when Kensi walked up to me. "You okay?" Kensi asked, kneeling down to check my vitals.

"Comes with the territory." I said.

"Does that usually come before or after you decapitating someone?" Sam asked.

"After," Kensi said remembering the rescue in Prague.

There was a moment of silence before I answered. I realized that there were people that didn't have the security clearance to hear that answer. "I'll answer that question, but there are people who don't have the clearance to hear that answer." I said. Sam glared at me. "I'll explain once when get back to the base."

"We expect to hear the full explanation." Callen said.

"I'm going to have to get Hetty on the line before we have this conversation." I said.

"Why?" Kensi asked.

"What you're asking me to explain is not above top secret." I said.

"What's above top secret?" Kensi asked.

"Black Ops." Sam said.

I waved for the group to step away from the scientist. "What I am is beyond Black Ops." I said.

"What could possibly be more top secret than Black Ops?" Sam asked.

"I can't discuss that here. This is a conversation that you need to have with Hetty." I said.

"Excuse me, but we have catalogue everything, and came up with a list of all the missing supplies." the female scientist said.

"What's missing?" Callen asked.

"Besides the Brachytherapy container, there were supplies for a top secret government project, which we aren't at liberty to discuss, that have come up missing." she said.

"Is there anything that you can discuss?" Kensi asked.

"Sorry, but the research and development being done here is classified." She said.

"Like I said, cover up." I said.

Sam rolled his eyes. If I had to guess, Sam is annoyed that I was right. "Well… he did call it." Callen said

"Let's head back up top, and call for extraction." Sam said.

Kensi took one last good look at the dead man, his face mainly, and then followed me out. We found an elevator, and took it back to the pad. As we rode the elevator, Kensi fussed over me, making sure everything was in order. I was tickled at first, having a woman taking inventory of my wounds and what not, but I let Kensi have at it. It's been a few thousand years since I let another person care for me. As Kensi was check out an abrasion on my arm, I could hear Callen finish the calling for an extraction, and Sam was glaring at me. I rolled my eyes at Sam, but kept my mouth shut. We had a few hours to kill before the bird came to pick us up, so I took a seat by the elevator and tried to get comfortable.

Kensi, Sam and Callen discussed the question that they would ask Hetty the entire time we waited for the helicopter to arrive, and they were questions I wasn't looking forward to answering. I dozed off for a moment, and when Kensi woke me, I could hear the whine of the helicopter engine. The one thing that bothered the most about this mission wasn't the fact that I was right about this place being a black site, called that before we even left L.A. What really bothered me was the fact that my biometrics let me into that lab. I have to make phone call when I get L.A., and I know who I'm going to call. We haven't spoken in over a decade, but seeing as how I just killed the man who made me an immortal, what's there to lose.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

As soon as we landed at Camp Pendleton, Hetty told us we had three days off. I wanted to call my associate, and ask them a few questions. But I knew I had to wait until I was alone. The drive back to OPS was long, boring, and painful. I just wanted to get away from everybody else. When we got back to OPS, Sam, Callen and Kensi started filling out paperwork. I sent the message to my associate asking for a meet. She said that she would be able to meet in three hours. I asked if we should meet same place as last time, and she said yes. I sat down, and started filling out paperwork.

"Who were you talking to?" Callen asked without looking up from his reports.

"I asked an old _friend_ if we could meet." I said, sitting down to work on after action reports.

"What is it that you want to discuss with you friend?" Sam asked.

"That's a private matter." I said.

"What's so private about it?" Callen asked.

"What part of "private" don't you guys understand?" I asked.

"Not sure, maybe you could explain it to us." Callen said, as Sam grunted.

I wasn't in the mood for the crap. The information that I have discuss has nothing to do with this team and everything that happened on the rig. Mainly the part where I was able to let myself into the lab.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, Miss Blye." Hetty said, entering the bull pen.

"Yes." Kensi said.

"My office." she said, and then walked away.

"Hey, Deeks… where'd he go?" Callen asked.

Sam and Kensi turned to see that I left in less than two seconds. Gear and all. "It looks like we will have to finish this discussion later." Kensi said.

Sam, Callen and Kensi were detained by Hetty, keeping them from following me. They spent three hours in debrief, but Hetty had dodge any and all questions about the decapitation. Hetty didn't give the three of them a chance to ask about the death. And when they finally had a chance to ask about it, Hetty brushed it off, and sent them home.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

In case the team tries to follow me, I grabbed a burn phone, and then went to the meet. To my _friend_ , three hours is actually thirty minutes. How Hetty knew I was going to meet someone is beyond me. All I know is that I'm ten minutes late getting to the beach than I wanted to be. I take a seat on a bench. There was another bench behind me, and my _friend_ was already waiting. The sun is about three hours from rising.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"My team and I had just come back from a mission in the gulf." I said.

To anybody watching it would seem that we weren't talking to anybody in particular. "So." she said.

"I couldn't get here as quickly as I wanted, or they would have followed me here." I said.

"I'm guessing they were detained?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"What did you want to ask." she said

"Does the agency have any research labs in the gulf?" I asked.

"Yeah." she said.

"Can you discuss what the purpose of said lab is about?" I asked.

"You're no longer with the agency." she said.

"My biometrics are still in the system." I said.

"You know I can get in serious trouble for discussing specifics." she said.

"That lab is missing materials." I said.

"Like what?" she said.

"At the moment. All I know is that there is a missing container of Brachytherapy, but there could be more. I also saw an unknown woman get away with schematics. What for, I don't know. The science team wasn't very forth coming about the specifics of what was being developed at the lab, or anything else that was missing." I said.

"I'm going to have to check all this out. How did you know there was a lab in the gulf anyways?" she asked.

"My team had somehow got picked to take down a terrorist cell that took that rig over." I said.

There was a moment of silence before either of us spoke again. "I'll be in touch." she said, and then got up to leave. I didn't try to stop her. I knew there would be no use in trying. I decide to watch the sunrise. It was a rare treat to watch the sunrise. I felt my jacket pocket buzzing. I pulled my phone out, and saw that I someone left a voice message on my normal phone. I'm not exactly sure what's so important that I get a phone call at this hour. I skip the sunrise, and head home.

As I'm heading back to my car, my phone rings. "Hello." I answer the phone.

" _Does Hetty knew you have this phone?_ " Nell asked.

"This phone isn't tied to L.A.P.D., or N.C.I.S.?" I said.

" _Never mind_." Nell said, and then hung up.

I look at my phone a beat, and then put it away.


	29. Chapter 29

I get home as the sun was beginning to rise. As I'm pulling into the parking lot, I do a quick scan of lot. I didn't see anything when I was parking, but I noticed a fancy car that had pulled in twenty seconds after I did. At this distance I recognize the car because Callen drives it. Something in the back of my mind tells me that this is a setup, which means that Kensi is somewhere nearby. I turn to see a red mini cooper in the back of the lot. I'm not exactly sure what game these guys are playing, but I guess it's time to show them how it's done. My best bet is to act like everything is okay, and not let them know that I'm on to them. I park my car near the building for two reasons. One is to give me sight lines on Callen's parking spot, and Nell's as well. Both cars are parked in such a way that they have the parking lot cover. _No chance to sneak up on them from the parking lot._ The second is because I can park here.

I make my way up to my apartment, keeping an eye out for anybody following me. Besides Callen, Sam, Kensi, and possibly Nell. From the parking lot, the three agents and the tech analyst could see me enter the building. Kensi and Nell were sitting in the back corner of the parking lot in Nell's mini cooper, over their ear piece they heard Callen say. " _We're heading in._ "

"Copy that." Kensi said.

"You do realize how stupid this is? Don't you?" Nell asked.

"Deeks and Hetty are hiding something. Some kind of secret that is…" Kensi said, but Nell cut her off.

"Don't you get it? The reason you were kidnapped, and taken to Prague is because of that secret. Deeks is keeping it a secret because it will get the three of you killed." Nell said.

"It can't be that simple." Kensi said.

"Why not? Not every situation has an explanation. What exactly don't you understand?" Nell asked.

Nell looked at Kensi just as she was about to speak, and she saw the blade of a kukri just beneath Kensi's sight line. Nell looked in the mirror, and saw me crouched against the car. Nell schooled her features, and then looked out her window to make sure that I was alone.

"What is so important that he is trying to hide—" Kensi asked, but felt the tip of the kukri press against her throat.

"You guys never stood a chance. I spot Callen's car as soon as he pulled in, and I spotted Nell's car before I even made my way up to my apartment. I'm not exactly sure what you guys are trying to do, or trying to prove. Just watch." I said, and then pulled blade from her throat.

" _Kensi, Deeks isn't here._ " Sam said.

"What do you expect?" Nell said. I pulled out Kensi ear piece.

" _I was hoping to catch him when he came back from his late night rendezvous,_ " Callen said.

"You guys might want to try a little bit harder." I said.

" _What was the giveaway?_ " Callen asked.

"I saw your car when you pulled in, and before I walked up to my apartment I saw Nell's car. I'm not exactly sure what you guys are trying to prove by sneaking up on me." I said, and then handed Kensi her ear piece back.

I sneak away from Nell's car, and then make my way over to Callen's. I place a tracker on his car, and then disappear. I wait near the dumpsters until they decide to leave. I creep the outside of the parking lot just in case they decided to fake me out, and wait for me to leave my hiding spot. I grab my bug sweeper, and give my apartment a once over. I didn't find anything, so I decide to go play games tonight when they go to bed tonight. I don't bother with Sam, he probably hates me more for ruining his fun. Kensi I will get later, but Callen I will get tonight. I get some sleep, and ready to move at sundown. I watch Callen from the street, while being out of sight of his nosy neighbors. The moon had just started a new cycle, so it isn't out tonight.

I sneak into Callen's house through the back door, while he is still awake I might add, and creep through looking for things to mess with him. I remember hearing Sam say that Callen never sleeps, so I decide to just rearrange the place. At least small things, stuff that wouldn't be noticed at first. I do this for the next two nights, and on the final night I can see that I'm starting to get to Callen, and it was glorious.

Come morning, I can feel something is off. And if I had to guess it was Callen, whether he figured out it was me or not, is still up in the air. I enter the bull pen and I see everyone gather around the plasma.

"What do we have?" I asked.

"Dead marines with possible ties a smuggling ring out of the port." Nell said.

"I thought the marines did most of their work out of Camp Pendleton?" I asked.

"Usually they do. But it's different this time around. Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna, I want you to check out the port. Miss Blye and Mr. Deeks, I want you to find the path from Pendleton to the port." Hetty said.

"You got it." Callen said.

"On it." Kensi said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Camp Pendleton-

Kensi was amazing me more and more each day. I found out that she can track a person, or group, by using foot prints, or tire tracks. _I'm going to enjoy this relationship._ I thought, as we were nearing an exit.

"Control, this is Agent Blye, do you copy?" Kensi said over the radio.

" _We read you Agent Blye._ " came a female voice over the radio.

"We're about sixty clicks south of motor pool. Do you have any cameras with a line of sight?" Kensi asked.

There was a moment of silence before a male voice came over the radio. " _We are in the middle of an overhaul, Agent Blye. There was rumor that there was something going on out behind motor pool. We haven't had time to install cameras out there._ "

"Well, someone has been busy because a sliding gate has been installed, and we found old tire tracks, too. How old the tracks are is unknown at the moment." Kensi said.

Another moment of silence before the same man spoke again. " _We can't spare any of our people at the moment. The best we could do is lend you a couple of motor bikes and a few tanks of gas._ " he said.

"That's good enough." Kensi said. She looked at me and asked. "You ready to go for a little ride?"

The phrase that Kensi just uttered. _Go for a little ride?_ Takes me back to the moment my wife got pregnant with our first child. Technically, Kenzie always said that because we didn't have a lot of privacy in our village. The biggest grin crosses my face even before I could stop myself, and I know how Kensi is going to take it. Heck, I could stop the grin even if I wanted too.

"On the bikes, Deeks. On the bikes." Kensi said.

I recover gracefully by stifling a laugh. "I didn't say anything."

We head back to the motor pool. Kensi signs out the equipment, and then we make our way back to the gate. Luckily, it was pad-locked. If it was a digital lock, we might have been here for a few hours. We push the bikes through after we opened the gate. I shut and lock the gate as Kensi is starting her bike up. I've spent so much time in the desert, this feels like a normal day to me. We rode for two hours before we had to stop, so Kensi could find the trail again.

"I've had quite a few partners over a long career, but I have to admit you're the best one I've worked with." I said, pulling off my helmet.

"Uhuh. Why is that? Is it because of my fantastic figure?" she asked, pulling off her helmet and looking for the tracks again.

"Well… that's a plus, but I enjoy the fact that you know how to track. That's a useful skill that I never had time to learn." I said.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Kensi said, forgetting about the tire track and engaged me in a little work place sexism. Even though it was consensual. "The fact that I have a petite frame doesn't draw your attention?"

"Yes and no." I said.

"What does that mean?" she asks.

"Your petite frame, as you so eloquently put it, is perfect, but that's not driving reason for my piqued interest." I said.

"Oh yeah?" she asks.

"Yeah." I said.

"And what is that?" she asks.

"That is a very personal matter." I said, schooling my features and hardening my voice.

I saw Kensi flinch as if I hit her physically, but talking about how Kensi is a dead ringer for my long dead wife is not a conversation that I want to have. "I found the tracks." Kensi said, and then we geared up to follow the trail again.

N.C.I.S L.A.

OPS-

"What do we have Miss Jones?" Hetty asked entering ops.

"Kensi and Deeks have left Pendleton. I have a trace on their sat phones." Nell said.

"Bring up the feed." Hetty said.

Eric brought up a live topographical map of California, and input the G.P.S. coordinates of our sat phones. Our current course has us heading in the direct of Los Angeles, but without notice our signals disappeared from the map.

"What happened Mr. Beale?" Hetty asked.

"It's nothing on our end. There must something jamming the signal in that area." Eric said.

"What do we do?" Nell asked.

It took Hetty a few moments, but she doled out orders without hesitation. "Tell Sam and Callen to find a chopper, and send them the coordinates to the area where we lost our agents." Hetty said.

Nell was on the phone to Callen and Sam, while Eric sent authorization to get a flight out of the port. "I'm pretty certain we don't have that kind of authorization." Nell said.

"That's why I faked the signal for someone who can." Eric said.

Nell bit her lower lip as she was shaking her head.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Middle of nowhere, California-

Kensi and I ditched our bikes when we stumbled upon the settlement. "Well it seems we found the spot where they transfer everything into shipping containers." Kensi said.

"So it would seem. I just checked my phone, they have a jammer blocking all signals in the area. I'm not exactly sure how big the radius is either." I said.

"Hey, took a look at that shipping container." she said, handing me the binoculars.

"My, my." I said, when I spot the sixteen spoked-wheel on the side of the shipping container.

"Isn't that terrorist organization that took over the oil rig?" she asked.

"Yeah, but something isn't adding up. This is a subsidiary of the organization, and not the home base itself." I said.

"Where do you think the headquarters is at?" she asked.

"My guess, Western Europe. But that's speculation—" I said, but I was cut off by gun fire.

"We should have stopped by the armory before leaving." Kensi said as we took cover.

"Not necessary. Stay here." I said.

"What am I supposed to do?" Kensi asked.

"Keep them busy." I said.

"Okay." Kensi said sarcastically.

Kensi returned fire with her sidearm, but most of the time she was forced to stay in cover. After ten minutes, I returned with the appropriate weapons, and a few magazines each. "How you managed to get these is beyond me, but I'm not complaining." Kensi said.

We were able to take out a few of the men, but we were about to be over run. "We need to move from this position. Follow my lead." I said.

We slowly crept away from our position, returning fire and covering each other as we moved. At one point in the fire fight we got pinned down, and couldn't move. I could see them getting close, in my mind I'm going doing the math on how long before we get over run.

"How long?" Kensi asked.

"Three minutes. Five minutes tops." I said.

I was preparing to tell Kensi to make a run for it, but I heard a noise. It was very faint, but I know I heard it because the bad guys are hearing it too.

"What's that sound?" Kensi asked.

"That's the sweet sound of the cavalry arriving." I said, as I returned fire.

Just as I was ducking back into cover a helicopter flew overhead us. The pilot turn the bird so the side door was facing the enemy camp, and then the side door open. Kensi and I could see Callen and Sam open fire on the bad guys. If the bad guys weren't killed by Sam, and Callen, they were neutralized by Kensi and myself. The helicopter set down on the ridge in front of the camp, then Callen and Sam made their way into the camp to look for survivors. I went looking for the jammer to disable it, and call in that we had neutralized the smuggling ring.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

A phone was ringing in ops when Hetty entered.

"Hello." Hetty answered.

" _Hetty, this is Deeks._ " I said.

"Tell me you have good news Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

" _Smuggling ring has been shut down, and any survivors are being questioned about the operation. The group is also tied to the terrorist group that took over that oil rig a last week._ " I said.

"Proof." Hetty said.

There was a moment of silence. I took a picture of the symbol, and emailed it to Eric. When Eric opened the email the picture of the Romani wheel appeared on screen.

"What do you know about the group?" Hetty asked.

" _I was approached by a representative when you sent me to Japan. Then I ran into the organization when it was in full swing when I was in London, England a few years ago._ " I said.

"That was quite some time ago, Mr. Deeks. Do you think any of them will still remember you?" Hetty asked.

" _Last I knew, the group had infiltrated the C.I.A. That was back in Ninety-eight._ " I said.

"Any idea what they have been up to since then?" Hetty asked.

" _Not a clue, Hetty. For All I know, a rogue group could have branched off from the main organization when it infiltrated the C.I.A._ " I said.

"I'll look into that." Hetty said, and then disconnected the call.

As I was exiting the building where the jammer was, I saw a convoy coming in from Camp Pendleton. Callen said that we were cleared to leave, Sam and Callen got in the helicopter and head back to the city. Kensi and I rode the bikes back to Pendleton, and retrieved the SRX. Five hours later, Sam and Callen were talking to Eric about a laptop that had been found at the smuggler's base, and Kensi was on the balcony above me talking to Nell.

"Who's Bella?" Hetty asked, entering the bull pen.

It took me a moment to realize that Hetty was talking about. And then I remember the knife that Mirabella gave me before leaving Rome. "She was my lover when I was in Rome. Her name was Mirabella Caito" I said.

"Do you still remember her?" she asked.

"Remember her how? I don't remember much about her character, but I do remember her physical features." I said.

"You must have been very special to her if she gave you that knife." she said.

"Bella had a thing for rubies, so the day I left I gave her a necklace with a sizable ruby in it." I said.

"I bet she loved that." she said.

"She did, and Bella thanked me for it on the spot." I said, with a sly smile.

"Next question, what did she look like?" she asked.

"She looks exactly like the woman standing directly above me." I said.

Hetty looked up to see that that woman standing directly above me… was Kensi. "You must be the luckiest man I've ever met. To keep running into your wife." Hetty said. All I could do was shrug my shoulders as Hetty left the bull pen with a knowing smile on her face.

The three months after we had cleared the smuggling ring were pretty quiet. The cases were standard run of the mill dead marine, no offense to the departed. At the beginning of May, the case involving the canister of Brachytherapy was about to crop up.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Santa Monica Pier-

The sun had been down for about an hour, and Surfside Sully's was alive and kicking. It was the weekend, and the patio was packed. The conversation was lively, except for one table.

"You okay? You seem like something's wrong." Michelle said.

"No, I'm okay. It's just one of those days at work, you know?" Sean said.

"Well, you're off now, so snap out of it. We're supposed to being having fun." she said. The Sean gave Michelle a dry smile. "I'm going to use the restroom. I better see two more drinks on the table when I get back." she said, and then got up to leave.

When Michelle was out of sight, Sean got up from his table, and met his friend on the bar. "You ready?" Sean asked.

"I'm ready. Are ready?" his friend asked.

"Guess so." Sean said.

"Okay, then." his friend said, and then fished out a hand-held video camera. His friend trained the camera on him, and press record saying. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now about to witness the end of Sean Koster's life as we know it."

Sean went back to his table, and prepared to propose to his girlfriend. He was nervous, and the butterflies were flying around in his stomach like a redneck on bath salts. When Sean looked up again, he saw Michelle coming back from the bathroom. Sean schooled his body language, willing his nerves to be silent. As Michelle came approached the table, she gently brushed Sean's shoulder. After Michelle sat down, Sean got up from the table, and walked closer to Michelle.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Sean got down on one knee, and then said. "Michelle April Ardell… will you marry me?" Sean asked, showing the ring that Michelle had wanted. The table next to Sean and Michelle watched the scene unfold.

Michelle was on the verge of accepting Sean's proposal, and Sean's friend had the whole thing on video. The only thing that stopped Michelle from saying yes was a big ball of flame that had stumbled onto the patio. As the guest fled the walking ball of flame, they could see that it was a man who had been set a blaze, his arms flailing, making a futile attempt to stop the blaze that had engulfed him. When the man had hit the beach, his body gave out and died mere meters from the ocean. All the while, Sean's friend kept filming the whole thing.


	30. Guidance Part I

_A/N: The next few chapters will be television episode. I know you probably don't want that, but there character development is too important to just make it up off top of my head. Not to mention, there is more story development, too._

That morning in the gym, Sam and Callen were training. One particular throw was a little harder than Sam was expecting. "Are you mad at me?" Sam aske.

"Why would I be mad?" Callen asked. "It's your vacation. Do whatever you want."

"Oh, gee, thanks for that." Sam said, and threw a few punches at his partner.

"I thought you might want to do something together, that's all." Callen said.

"You're not upset that I didn't invite you." Sam said. The partners continue to throw punches at each other.

"I'm not upset, disappointed maybe. Surprise definitely. You always say, we're kind of like family." Callen said.

"If you want to come, come. I'll even buy you a ticket today." Sam said, unable to keep the smile off his face.

"I'm not taking a mercy invite." Callen said. Callen also, had a smile on his face.

Sam wrapped up with Callen, pick him up, and the pretended to slam him on the ground. When Callen's feet hit the floor, he fell down to his back. "Of course I never really thought of you as a cruise ship kind of guy." Callen said, offering his hand.

"It's a sailboat." Sam said, pulling Callen back to his feet. When Callen was back on his feet, Sam took his back and the partners continued to practice. Which was cut short when they heard a woman clear her throat behind them.

"Uh, I'm sorry." Nell said, thinking she walking in at the wrong time. "We need you guys up in Ops. Mm-hm."

The three of them continued to stare at each other, until Callen realized what the position looked like to Nell. "We're training" Callen said.

"Okay." Nell said, shaking her head.

"It's self-defense." Sam said, connecting the dots as well.

Nell nodded her head. "Right." Nell turn on her heels and then walked out of the gym.

Nell rushed up to Ops and told me and Kensi about the _compromising_ position that she saw Sam and Callen, and I couldn't help myself. _Actually I could, I just have every intention of enjoying this moment._ I thought. And a few moments later, Callen and Sam walked into ops after showering and changing into fresh clothes.

"Oh, how was jazzercise?" I said. No dice, although Callen stared at me briefly when he passed by. "Hey, did one of you guys leave your leg warmers in locker room yesterday?"

Kensi was doing the best she could to keep from cracking up. Sam stared at me briefly, and then over at Nell.

"Ahem." Eric said, clearing his throat.

"Huh. What do we got. Eric?" Sam asked, getting back to the topic at hand.

"This footage was taken last night by a patron of Surfside Sully's in Santa Monica." Eric said.

At that moment, Callen realize that our diminutive boss was missing. "Where's Hetty?" Callen asked.

"On the phone with Director Vance. They've been going at it for twenty minutes." Eric said.

"The victim in the video has yet to be identified. He had no ID and his face and fingerprints were essentially melted. We're still waiting on dental." Nell said.

As Nell finished talking the footage of a man who had been set on fire was crossing the patio at the restaurant. Normally I would have some kind of pithy quip, but seeing the man set on fire killed any chance of me cracking a joke.

"Nobody saw who did this?" Sam asked.

"Nope. Witnesses said that he came out of nowhere. Autopsy revealed he'd been severely beaten with some sort of blunt object before being set ablaze. He suffered multiple fracture including the back of the skull." Nell said.

"Well, somebody wanted him dead." I said.

"Dead and unidentifiable." Callen said.

"Witnesses had a hard time putting out the flames because the fire was phosphorus-based." Nell said.

"The victim had an artificial knee joint, so I'm running the serial number through the manufacturer and hospital records trying to get a positive identification." Eric said.

"And why us? The presence of phosphorous isn't enough to warrant or involvement." Kensi said.

"On its own, no. But the body had also been exposed to fluorodeoxyglucose. The fire couldn't hide that." Nell said.

"Radiopharmaceuticals." Callen said.

"The isotope matches the brachytherapy canister that were stolen from the rig three months ago." Eric said.

There was a moment of silence before Callen asked. "Did you every figure what they else they took from the rig?"

"Didn't realize it was my responsibility. I'd have to make a few phone calls, but I didn't see anything of note that caught my attention before leaving." I said.

"Get on that." Sam said, as the four of us were leaving ops.

"Kensi and I can hit the crime scene, and see what we can find." I suggest as we were descending the stairs.

"Great. Just leave your surfboard in lockup." Callen said.

"What?" I gasped, and then turn to look at Kensi.

"Don't look at me. I didn't say anything." Kensi said.

"She doesn't have to. You left a small sand bunker under your chair after your last investigation." Sam said.

 _Not even going to try to lie my way out of this one._ I thought. "You got me." I said.

"No this is not a debate." Hetty said, on the phone. She was standing by her desk. "That's no one's call but mine."

Kensi and I gave Hetty one last look, and then exited the building. "Oh, rubbish. He's lying." Hetty continued. Sam gave Callen a look, and then walked into the bull pen.

"The hell I will." Hetty said and then hung up the phone. "Mother Hubbard."

"No food in the cupboard?" Callen asked, approaching Hetty's desk.

Hetty glared at Callen. "Something I can do?" Callen asked.

"No. No this one's stuck squarely in my lap, I'm afraid. Oh, it's just a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense anyway. We must take it all with a grain of salt." she said.

"I find it helps if the salt is followed by a shot of tequila and some lime." he said.

"I like the way you think, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"Hey," Sam said approaching Hetty's desk. "Eric identified the artificial knee. It went to a recipient named Brent Dundas, former Illinois construction worker, injured in an industrial accident. We've got a Culver City address."

Hetty took a breath and then looked at Callen. Callen didn't have to be told. He and Sam exited OPS, stopping at Brent's home. When Sam stopped in front of Brent's house, the partners took in the building. It was two-story house, which nothing out of the ordinary given the area of town they were in. Callen picked the lock, and then the partners entered. Callen took a quick sweep of the living. It was a mess. "Looks like somebody might have been looking for something." Callen said.

"Either that or Brent has a girlfriend." Sam said, closing the door.

"Huh?" Callen asked, looking away from the kitchen table.

"You know how women never close a drawer? They're coming to get something then the never do and you wind up banging into to it." Sam said.

Callen chuckled internally because he could hear Sam was complaining about his wife, but he returned his attention to the table. "Mm-hm. Trouble in paradise?" Callen asked.

Sam shook his head because he knew that Callen had read between the lines. Callen was browsing over the table when a pin jumped out him. He picked it up off the table, and held the pin in his hand. Callen recognizes the pin because he has seen Sam wear it on his dress uniform.

"Hey." Callen said, and then tossed the pin to Sam.

"Special Warfare Insignia." Sam said.

The partner's shared a look. "Looks like our dead guy might have been a SEAL." Callen said.

Callen pulled his phone out and dial OPS. " _Hello_." Eric said.

"Eric, I need you to run Brent Dundas name through the Navy's database. It's possible he could have been a SEAL." Callen said.

" _You got._ " Eric said, and then hung up.

Sam went upstairs to check if there are any levels of radiation. Sam was upstairs for about twenty minutes, before Eric called back. Sam was coming down the stairs as Callen was finishing the call form Eric. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Eric. And send Forensics over to follow up." Callen said.

" _Okay._ " Eric said.

As Callen hung up the phone, he turned to see Sam at the bottom of the stairs. "So the Navy has no record of a SEAL named Brent Dundas. In fact they have no record of Brent Dundas ever being in the Navy, period. You find anything?" Callen asked.

"Trace amounts of radiation. Nothing to get excited about. If that canister was here, it's gone now." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Near the crime scene-

I was squatting next to what he guess was the point where Brent was set on fire. Kensi squatted across from him. "Here we go. Scorch marks."

Kensi pressed her fingers, which were gloved, to the spot where the fire had been set. Then the dumbest thing ever happens: Kensi offers me her hand to smell it. _I don't need to smell it. Oh, wait. She doesn't that I was burned at the stake._ I thought as I turned my head away. "No, nope, I'm good, thanks."

Kensi had turn away and look for any more evidence of a man who had been set on fire. "There. Dark stains, looks like oil, but I bet you Forensics is going to prove it's a blood trail.

 _Oh, sexy._ I thought, but I couldn't stop the quip that was leaving my mouth. "Well, good work, Lassie. Now all you gotta do is find Timmy." I said.

"Yeah, feel free to dazzle me with your investigative skills at any time." she said.

"Heh, heh. You couldn't handle my skills." I said with a smile, and then stood up

"I just threw up in my mouth a little bit." she said, and stood up herself.

 _Gross._ I thought. "That's classy." I said, turning to look away.

"Okay, so the address Eric gave us for Brent Dundas is in Culver City, so we know he didn't walk here." she said.

"He didn't have any keys. He was missing a wallet. Killer could have taken both to conceal his identity." I said.

"Which is probably why they set him on fire with phosphorus. They knew the body would be unidentifiable. He does what anybody on fire would do, which is try to get to some water." she said.

I was checking out the cars when a red Toyota Camry jump out at me. "Ooh. Check it out. A Navy SEALSs bumper sticker." I said, walking towards the Camry.

"SEALs don't usually advertise." she said, and then followed me towards the car. Kensi pulled out her phone, and called OPS

" _Kensi._ " Eric said, answering the phone.

"Hey, Eric, I need you to run a plate. It's Four-Charlie-India-Four-Eight-Five. Red Camry." she said.

" _Got it._ " Eric said.

I checked the windshield and saw a bunch of parking tickets. I bent down to check the wheel well looking for a key. There was a boot on the front wheel of the car. When I didn't find the key fob, I went to the back wheel well, and checked again.

Eric came back with the registration of the vehicle. " _Yeah, the vehicle is registered to Brent Dundas._ " Eric said.

"What? When?" she asked.

When Kensi finished speaking I found the key fob. I turned to face Kensi and show her the key. "How you say? Bingo." I said.

"Okay. Thanks for the update. Keep us informed." she said.

I pressed the button to unlock the trunk, and the car alarm chirped. I opened the trunk and almost crapped a brick. I found swim gear and other things, but what caught my attention was the case in the middle of the trunk. It was big enough to hold just about anything.

"Car is registered to Brent Dundas, but get this, he's not really a Navy SEAL." Kensi said.

"You sure about that?" I asked, and then reach to open the case.

When I opened the case, we both saw wire brushes, wires, a bunch of other supplies, and four containers with labels marking its contents. Kensi called for a Forensic unit to come and process the materials. Once the unit arrived, we head back to OPS to update the team.

N.C.I.S. L.A

OPS-

We walked into to see Callen and Sam looking over files. What those files contained is beyond me.

"Nice job locating Brent Dundas' car." Callen said.

"Thank you." I said.

Kensi barely looked at me, and then updated the team. "Forensics is working over it now."

"So we have a Navy SEAL impostor exposed to radiation. A trunk full of scuba gear and explosives." Callen said looking up from the files.

"Sounds like a guy trying to make a dirty bomb." Sam said.

"Only Brent Dundas didn't know how to make a bomb." Eric said, as he and Nell joined the party.

"How do you know that?" I ask, puzzled by this new piece of evidence.

"Internet searches. He was looking up bomb-making instructions." Eric said.

"I've been trying to track purchases of white phosphorus, but I'm not having much luck." Nell said.

"Brent Dundas' electronic footprint, however shows regular cash withdrawals from an ATM, located in a Santa Moncia bar called the Prince O' Whales, including a three hundred dollars less than two hours before he was killed." Eric said.

"And the bar is within walking distance from where you guys found his car." Nell said.

"I think it's time we pay the Prince O' Whales bar a visit." Callen said.

"Now we're talking." I said.

"Oh, actually, Marty, Hetty asked if she could speak with you alone." Nell said.

"Oh, someone's in trouble." Kensi teased.

"Shut up." I said.

"Just remember the distress word." Sam said, and then walked out of the bull pen

"Whatever." I said.

"Yeah, if that doesn't work just fake a seizure." Callen said, as he was leaving.

"Like you would do that." I shot back.

The look on Nell's face was one of me being in trouble, but Callen shot me a look that said, _You'll never know_ , and then walk away. I looked at Kensi, who had sat down at her computer. Kensi looked up at me. "What?" Kensi asked.

"Hetty likes me better than the five of you." I said, with a smirk on my face.

"Oh, shut up." Kensi said with a look of disgust on her face.

I walked away from the bull pen until I found Hetty in the burn room. I walked in after she had put some files into to be destroyed. "Nell said that you wanted to see me. What do you have for me?" I asked.

"We've have reports that there is a mole in L.A.P.D." Hetty said, still looking at the files being destroyed.

"Okay, what does that have to do with me? Everybody here knows that I'm an agent." I said.

"The L.A.P.D. still think you're one of theirs." She said.

"Okay." I said, not understanding where this is going.

"The reports are military grade materials are missing, and we would like to stop them the loss of further supplies." She said.

"And you want to send me back in as Ashono MacLeod to smoke out the mole." I said, realizing where this was going.

"Do this and I will make the Ashono MacLeod alias vanish." Hetty said.

I think of all the things that could go right with Ashono disappearing, and then I remembered the Boyle's murder. "You got it, but I have a feeling that it won't be that simple." I said, and then exited the burn room.

I was walking down the hall back to the bull pen going over the ramifications of the things to come when Kensi snuck behind me and started grilling me.

"Are you on double-secret probation?" she asked.

"No." I said.

"Is it because of the Segway?" Kensi asked.

There was a whole story of hilarious hijinks involving Hetty's Segway, and amazingly enough Hetty never found out about it. "No. It's nothing. She just want to inform me about problems that we're having with the L.A.P.D., and how I'm going to have to solve them." I said.

I continued walking away, but Kensi stopped in her tracks. Kensi had a hard time wrapping her head around my words.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Outside the Prince O' Whales bar-

"This looks like you're kind of place." Sam said, after they got out of the Challenger.

"Looks like a dive." Callen said.

"Yeah, like I said, it's you're kind of place." Sam said, meeting up with Callen on the sidewalk. They continued this conversation as they approached the bar.

"So, what about pirates?" Callen asked.

"What?" Sam asked, blindsided by Callen's question.

"They're a real problem these days." Callen continued.

"I think we'll be okay. They usually don't come this far inland unless they're on vacation." Sam said, running with his partner's question.

"I'm talking about your sailboat." Callen shot back.

"It's not my sailboat. It's a charter. And, no, I'm not worried about pirates. SEALSs eat pirates for breakfast." Sam said.

"What do they taste like, chicken?" Callen asked, as he was reaching for the door.

"Fish sticks." Sam said.

Sam and Callen entered the bar, and made their way towards the bartender. There was one man working as a bouncer, and one female waitress.

"Hey, what can I get you, fellas?" the bartender asked. The bartender was a man with a full beard.

Callen pulled out his phone, and show the man a picture of Brent Dundas. "You know this guy?" Callen asked.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Federal agents." Sam said pulling his badge. The bouncer started to get up from his chair, which caught Sam attention. "Don't get up." Sam said sternly.

"It's all right. Yeah, I know him. Brian Young, he's a regular. Guys a retired Navy SEAL. Sits right there almost every night." he said waving off the bouncer.

"You know this guy as Brian Young, not Brent Dundas?" Callen asked.

"Never heard of Brent Dundas." he said. He scoffed at the questions that were being asked. "You sure you boys have done this before?"

"When was the last time you saw him?" Sam asked, his patience was being tested.

"Yesterday." he said. "Hey, Star, when did Brian come in last night?"

"Uh about six, I think. I don't remember seeing him leave, but I think it was earlier than normal for him, though, like seven, maybe. Why?" Star asked, approaching the bar.

"He's dead." Callen said flatly. "Someone bashed his head in, and set him on fire."

"What?" Star asked, shock by this turn of events.

"You think that was Brian?" the bartender asked.

"I was just talking to him last night." Star said.

"Was he with anyone?" Callen asked.

"He didn't come in with anyone, no. I think he may have been sitting with someone at some point. He was at the bar, I was waiting tables. It was busy. Why would someone do this? He was such a nice guy. Excuse me." Star said, as she place her drink tray on the bar and went to the bathroom.

"You should have seen her when her cat died. Had to give her Memorial Day weekend off. The whole weekend for a cat." the bartender said, which he followed with a laugh.

"Like to take a look at your surveillance tapes." Sam said.

"Sure, yeah, just show me a warrant." he said.

"That's how it's gonna be?" Sam asked.

"Hey, I'd like to help you boys out, man, but my customers got privacy rights." he said.

"Well, we'll be back." Callen said with a smile, and then they exited the building.

"Bring some friends, man. Two-for-one pitchers of draft between five and six." the bartender said.

Sam stopped listening, but stopped Star as he was exiting the building. "May I?" Sam asked, reaching for her towel.

Star didn't think twice, she just let Sam take the towel. Sam wiped down the seat of a chair, and a section of the bar. He check to make sure the coast was clear, and then exited the bar. When they stepped outside, Sam check the towel for any radiation. They got a weak signal from the Geiger counter.

"Trace amounts of radiation. Could be from the missing canister." Sam said.

"Could be our guy." Callen said.

"Or somebody he was with." Sam countered. "What do you think is up with the alias, Brian Young?"

"Fake SEAL, fake name." Callen said.

"Something tells me by the time we get a warrant, anything we could use on those surveillance tapes will be gone." Sam said.

The partners walked back into the bar. When the entered the bar, the bartender was nowhere to be seen. Callen saw Star behind the counter, and the bouncer was on the other side of the counter. "Where is he?" Callen asked.

"In the back." Star said.

"Don't get up." Sam warned the bouncer when he spotted the partners.

"Mr. Fallon's busy, and you need a warrant. So I suggest you turn around—" Sam cut the bartender of midsentence. He pin the man's hand behind his back, and slam his chest into the bar. "I said don't get up." Sam said to the bouncer who let out a cry of pain from having his arm wrenched into an uncomfortable positon.

Callen made his way to the back, frantically look for the office. It wasn't hard to find, though. The office had a red _keep out_ sign on it. Callen opened the door and saw Mr. Fallon skimming the feeds.

"Hey, I told you need a warrant!" Fallon exclaim when Callen jerked him away from the computer.

"We have probable cause. And you need a lawyer." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boat shed-

"I wasn't going to destroy any surveillance footage. I was just curious to see for myself." Fallon said.

"You didn't have a beef with him?" Sam asked.

"No, man, I barely knew the guy. Brian was a customer that came in to drink, flirt with the waitresses and tell the occasional war story." Fallon said.

"Well, he wasn't in any war. His name wasn't Brian Young, it was Brent Dundas." Callen said as he took a seat at the table. "He wasn't a Navy SEAL that had his leg messed up in an IED. He was just some guy living off workman's comp from a construction accident."

"What he told me, he was retired and working for private contractors now. You know, Blackwater kind of stuff. And he had some, uh—He had some kind of classified assignment he couldn't talk about. But he was celebrating, you know, like he had—He'd come in to some money or something. You know, buying drinks for everybody and stuff." Fallon said.

"What about his friends or people he was hanging around with?" Callen asked.

"No, if it wasn't for the Navy SEAL thing, I would have thought the guy was a loser, always by himself. Yeah, I just thought it was the lone wolf thing. Yeah, he had a shine on for Star. He talked to her a lot. But you got anymore question, talk to her, because I'm done until I see a lawyer." Fallon said.

Sam and Callen exited the room, and as the entered the main room Sam said. "He's a bottom feeder, but I believe him."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't get us any closer to finding the dirty bomb material." Callen said.

"How's it going?" I asked as we entered.

"It's not. You find anything?" Callen asked.

"Yeah. This is the real Brian Young." Kensi said bring the personnel file up on the plasma screen. "He was a Navy SEAL who died during the invasion of Iraq. Young was born in Wisconsin, but grew up in Illinois and attended high school with guess who?"

"Brent Dundas." Sam said, the disgust was written all over his face.

Kensi pointed at Sam as I said. "You've played this game before."

"They were on the same swim team. So not only did Brent Dundas and Brian Young know each other, it's reasonable to believe they were friends." Kensi said.

"That's where Brent got his stories and identity." Sam said.

I could see this upset Sam a lot. Not only the disgust still written on his face, but he was hunched over and had his hands on his hips.

"Right. Our friend the bartender, here, said we ought to talk to one of his waitresses, Star. She had a lot of face time with the victim. Why don't you guys check it out see if she knows anything? Sam and I are going to go through the surveillance tapes from the bar." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Sam was walking into the bull pen to see Eric lounging at his desk with his feet up on is desk. Sam was in totally disbelief at what was right before his eyes. "What are you?" Sam asked.

Eric practically fell out of Sam's chair. Sam also noticed that Eric was eating a sandwich. "Umm—Nell's hogging the computers up in Ops, running a multi-variant search." Eric said around the bite he just took.

"What is that smell?" Callen asked when he entered the bull pen.

"Oh, sardines." Eric said. Sam and Callen both had a look of disgust on their face. Eric tried to excuse himself by give a health fact. "They're really high in Omega-3 fatty acids."

"Smells like cat food. No wonder Nell kicked you out. I don't what's worse, the smell in here or the fact that you were eating Ops." Sam said motioning with his head up at Ops. "You know if Hetty caught you, she would shoot you on sight."

When Sam mentioned Hetty, this got Callen's attention. "Where is Hetty?" Callen asked.

"I haven't seen her." Eric said.

"No wonder you're acting so brave. I've got to find her." Callen said.

Eric took another bit of his sandwich, and then remembered Sam was right in front of him. "Want to keep going through the surveillance tapes?" Eric asked.

"Not with you. You and your fish breath go work in the gadget room. Yeah." Sam said giving Eric his plate. Sam looked at his recycling bin and saw a food container in it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You threw your empty sardine can in my recycling bin?"

"Gotta save the planet, man." Eric said.

"Go save it somewhere else." Sam said, handing the bin to Eric. Sam smelled his hands, hoping the smell didn't transfer on to his hands. Eric was about to enter the gadget room when Sam said. "And bring me a new bin."

Eric paused for a moment, glaring at Sam, and then walked away. Up in Ops Nell was slaving away looking for anything that might help them in the case. When the door to Ops open, Nell turned to see that it was Callen, and then returned to her computer.

"Nell, have you seen Hetty?" Callen asked.

"No, not since this morning." Nell said, shaking her head.

Callen huffed out a breath, thinking on where Hetty could be, and then was intrigued by what Nell was. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm looking for bacon. As in Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" she said. Callen just stared at her in confused silence. "Uh collaboration distance. Cluster Analysis?" Callen still had a confused look on his face. Which cause Nell to launch into a long winded explanation. "Ok, basically, I'm going through the Prince O' Whales credit card transactions of the past couple months, and data mining through their customers to find any links between our mystery woman who stole the radiopharmaceuticals in the first place, and who stole it from her. Hopefully, I'll find a common vector."

It took Callen a few seconds to register what he just heard. He understood that if anything was going to get done, he would have to leave her alone. "Good luck with that." Callen said.

"Hm. Right." Nell said, as Callen was walking away.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Near Prince O Whale's bar-

Kensi and I were taking a walk with Star and grilling her for information. "Brian was always a gentleman." Star said.

"You mean Brent?" Kensi said. That was a low blow, and I had to look away. "Did you see him outside of work?"

"No. No, we never dated or anything, if that's what you're asking. He seemed like a kind soul, but tortured. Like he was always a little sad. I figured it was from the being in the war." Star said.

 _I hate doing this._ I thought. "Only he wasn't, his friend was." I said.

"He said he lost his best friend in the war. Maybe he never just got over it." Star said. We stopped walking when we reached the beach. "Maybe it Brian—Brent's—Brent's way of honoring his dead friend."

"By becoming him?" I asked. I _know that people do weird things to honor their friends. Heck, I killed Ray back in the Sixties because that was his wish._ I thought.

"Maybe it was his way of being someone he wasn't." Kensi said. _Ouch!_ I thought.

"A lot of people want a better life for themselves and dream of being someone they're not." Star said. She hesitated before speaking again. "Star sounds a lot better than Sarah Anne Shulman from Tunkhannock Pennsylvania."

The next words were out of my mouth before I knew what was happening. "I don't know about that, Sarah Anne sounds pretty to me." I said with a smile on my face.

Star hesitate a moment before speaking. Her eyes still locked with mine. "So are you two like "together" together?" Star asked, looking between us.

I take this moment to tease Kensi. "Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"No, we're just partners." Kensi said, in complete denial.

"With privileges." I say with a straight face.

"Oh, definitely not." Kensi said defiantly.

"Kind of." I said.

"No." Kensi said.

"What about you? Are you in a relationship" I asked.

"Not really." Star said with a sad smile.

 _Objectively speaking, Sarah Anne is a beautiful woman._ I thought. "Now, that's a crime. Uh—You should take this, just in case you remember anything else." I said, handing her one of my L.A.P.D. business cards.

"Okay, thank you very much, Star." Kensi said.

"Even if just, you know, need to talk or anything." I said.

Kensi didn't get too far before she thought it was a bad idea for her to leave the situation as it was. She return, and grabbed my business from Star's fingers. "I'm going to take this. It's for you own security. And we're gonna go." Kensi said, grabbing my wrist to pull me away from whatever situation she thought might have been brewing.

Kensi pushed me away from Star. "What are you doing? I was just being a good cop" I said.

I stopped quite a ways from Star, but Kensi kept walking as she placed the ripped up business car in my hands. I just stared at the business card, and all I could think stay was. "Cop blocker!"

When we got back to the SRX, and got in, Kensi just sat there. I could tell by the look on her face that Kensi was remembering something. Something that she realized is important. I know it's important because Kenzie use to make that same face. I had to look away, so Kensi wouldn't see the tears.

"Three months ago…" Kensi began.

"Yeah." I said, and I had a bad feeling.

"Three months ago, when you woke up in the hospital after being shot, you called me babe. And no matter how much flirting you do, it isn't serious, and I get the feeling it's meant to get under my skin. Who was the woman in the past?" she asked.

I hesitate a moment. Wondering how much I should tell her, or if I should tell Kensi at all. Something in the back of my head tells me this isn't the right time to tell her. I want nothing more than to— _do what? Kensi knows nothing about my true history with her, or women like her. Except for Sparrow, I have always had a romantic entanglement with women like Kenzie._ I thought.

"Deeks." she said.

"That is a conversation for another time. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that right now." I said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it isn't the right time." I said looking at Kensi.

Kensi thought about my words, and then started the engine of the SRX.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Sam was in the bull pen, and he was extremely irritated. Pissed off even.

"I'm gonna crush the life out of you. I'm going gut you like a fish." he threatened. All he could see on the plasma television was static and a _not available_ message on the screen. Sam was pressing buttons on the remote in a vain attempt to get a signal, but Hetty had decide to take his mind off the problem at hand.

"Problem, Mr. Hanna?" she asked.

"We need a new plasma." he said.

"What's wrong with this one?" she asked.

"It's stupid, and it's pissing me off. Seriously, I'm going to shoot it." he threatened.

Sam leaned forward because he saw something on the screen. "What's really wrong, Sam?" she asked.

Sam looked at Hetty and then told the truth. "You mean besides a guy posing as a SEAL that may have built a dirty bomb?"

"Oh, well that is a serious situation. All the reason to keep one's cool." she said.

"I'm cool" he said, and then looked at the television again.

Hetty took a deep breath, and the said. "You know, it been a very long time since I heard you laugh, Sam." she said. Sam was so confused by this admission that his head tilt to the left, and was wondering where this was going. But Hetty continued none the less. "Hell life can be absurd. But you have to embrace that. If you can't smile now, how can you possible laugh in the face of death?"

"Hetty, why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"As a sailor, Sam, you know the importance of a solid anchor. You have your faith, your family, your sense of humor. Mr. Callen doesn't think he needs anyone. He does. He needs you. You're his anchor. And I sense there's a storm coming." she said.

"Hetty, you're a lot of, but a psychic isn't one of them. You wanna to level with me?" Sam asked.

"I just did." Hetty said, and then left the bull pen.

Sam was mystified by what Hetty just said, but wasn't able to process it because he heard Callen say. "I give up. I can't find her anywhere."

"You're kidding right? She was just here." Sam said. Callen just stood there and stared Sam. "Seriously, what kind of tracker are you?"

"Well, she's avoiding me. What was she talking about?" Callen asked.

"Ships, anchors, death. To be honest, she's kind of creeping me out." Sam said.

Callen was attempting to process Sam's words, but was interrupt by Nell shouting. "I got bacon."

"What?" Sam asked.

They saw Nell walk into the bull pen carrying a laptop. "A man by the name of Ryan Long split a restaurant check with some random man who was using a fake ID in January. In March, he paid a tab at the Prince O' Whales the same night that Brent Dundas made a withdrawal from their A.T.M." Nell said.

When Nell started explaining her search the plasma found a signal and the information from the laptop was display on the screen. Sam was in disbelief at first. Then he gave up trying to understand, placing the remote on his desk and gave Nell his full attention. "So Ryan Long is the link between the stolen pharmaceuticals and our dead man, Brent Dundas.

"And that, my friends, is bacon." Callen said.

Nell nodded her head. "Ryan Long's been arrested on several occasions. Mostly minor offenses stemming from various protests. He's a self-proclaimed anarchist." Nell said.

"You got an address?" Sam asked.

"No. He only uses a P.O. Box. He does however own a motor home that Eric tracked down using Kaleidoscope. And as of eleven minutes ago, it was parked in Playa del Ray near the airport." Nell said, pulling up security camera footage on the plasma.

 _A/N – I had to split this chapter up because it was extremely long._


	31. Guidance Part II

N.C.I.S L.A.

Outside Ryan Long's mobile home-

Sam pulled up behind Ryan Long's mobile home, parking about ten feet back. "Looks like it's been abandoned." Sam said.

An idea pops into Callen's mind. "Maybe that's what I'll do. I'm gonna rent an RV." Callen said.

"Heh. I'd love to see you in a trailer par." Sam said.

"No, no, no. Drive across country. Sailing the backwaters of America. Just me and the open road as my companion." Callen said.

"You're breaking my heart." Sam said sarcastically.

"Ryan?" Callen called out.

No response.

"Like I said, abandoned." Sam said.

Just as Callen was about to try the handle and Sam was knocking on the door, the RV's engine roared to life, and the Ryan drove off. Sam and Callen ran back to the Challenger, but a strange turn of events would allow them to catch Ryan on foot. Just as they we getting back to the Challenger, Callen and Sam heard a car horn blaring, followed by a loud crash. They turn to see that Ryan had flipped his mobile home over onto its side. The destruction was complete. Ryan Long would be forced to buy a new vehicle. Sam and Callen raced over to the mobile home. Before they even approached the vehicle, Sam and Callen drew their weapons. Sam was the first to lay eyes on Ryan as he was crawling his way out of his overturned vehicle.

"Nice driving, slick." Sam said.

"You not only wrecked your wheels, you totaled your house." Callen said, taking in the destruction.

Ryan knew this particular number, so he kept quiet as Callen put his gun away to reach for his handcuffs.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boat shed-

"You know this guy?" Callen asked Ryan, showing him a picture of Brent Dundas.

Ryan looked at the picture for a split second, and then shook his head.

Callen's eyebrow almost jumped up to his hairline. "No?" Callen asked.

Ryan raised his eyebrows too, but still maintained his story of not knowing Brent Dundas.

"Well, this is what it looked like after he was lit on fire with white phosphorus." Callen said, bringing up the autopsy photo of Brent's charred body.

Brent shook his, and then said. "I had nothing to do with that."

"Why'd you try and get away?" Callen asked, lowering the phone.

Ryan scoffs "Because I know how this government operates." Ryan said. Sam had an _Oh, really_ expression written across his face, and Callen just stared at Ryan. Callen knew exactly where this is going.

"Yeah, I know I'm on a watch list. You know, people equate anarchy with mayhem. And that's not true." Ryan said. Callen and Sam shared a look. Ryan continues, but does so hesitantly. "I'm an advocate for peaceful resistance. Well, this country has a rich history of anarchy. Henry David Thoreau was an anarchist. Did you know that?"

"I didn't know. Sam, did you know that?" Callen asked.

"Robert Louis Stevenson thought Thoreau was a girly man. He called him a skulker." Sam said nonchalantly.

"A skulker." Callen said with a straight face.

"You spy on us with your satellites. You can turn our cell phones on without us knowing. You take our photos. You listen in on our conversation. Am I right?" Ryan asked.

Sam and Callen share a look. All Callen did was shrug his shoulders, and then placed his hands on the table as he played on Ryan's fears. "What can I say? You're right. That's old school stuff. You've heard of Bluetooth, right? You don't think they invented that just so you can talk to your mom while you're driving do you?" Callen asked.

Ryan thought he had won the argument. He was nodding his head in victory. That was until Callen started talking.

"No." Callen said, as Ryan shook his head no. "Every time you put that little earpiece in, we have remote access to your temporal lobe." Callen paused for effect. Ryan started to freak out. "That's right, Ryan. It's like hooking up a fiber optic cable into your cerebral cortex. We know what you're saying, what you're seeing, what you're thinking." Callen said.

Sam, not wanting to be left out of the fun, chimed in. "That's just the consumer model."

The partners can see that Ryan is losing his resolve. "We got a machine in the next room. It can suck out the memories. The only problem is once they're gone, they're gone." Callen said.

"Ffft. Instant amnesia." Sam said.

"Me, personally, I think it's a bridge too far. But we're at war here. And it's a war on terror. And I think the guy that did this has access to a dirty bomb, and I think you know where he is." Callen said, showing Brent Dundas' burnt corpse again.

Ryan didn't know what he was more afraid of: the psycho path that killed Brent Dundas or having his memories suck out of his head. Callen was in shock. He thought he had Ryan's number. He and Sam shared a look, and then wave at Sam. Sam got up from his chair, and started walking towards the door.

Ryan got really nervous, and then asked. "Where's he going?"

"Ah don't worry about it, kid. It hurts like hell, but you won't remember anything." Sam said, and then opened the door to leave.

"You can't do this." Ryan said, almost pleading.

"Come on, you said yourself you know how we operate." Callen said.

"Seriously, I had nothing to do with this." Ryan said with a straight face. There was a moment of silence before Ryan gave up. "The guy you're looking for is Shepherd."

"Who's Shepherd?" Callen asked. Sam shut the door, and walked back to the table.

"I don't know his last name. He used to be in our group, but he started advocating militant aggression so we booted him out. He formed his own group. Propaganda of the Deed."

"He ever talk about using dirty bombs?" Callen asked.

"No, but I wouldn't put it past him." Ryan said.

"Where do we find him?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. That guy is way off the grid. The only way I contact him is through his blog." Ran said.

Sam and Callen shared a look, and then left the boat shed. Callen called ahead to have the Eric and Nell look into Shepherd's Blog.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS, bull pen-

When Sam and Callen entered the bull pen, Eric, Nell, Kensi and I were all waiting and Shepard's blog was on the plasma.

"This is Shepherd's blog. Propaganda of the Deed. Frighteningly enough, he appears to have a fair amount of followers. He's advocating violence as a means for social change spurned on in part by revolutions going on in the Middle East." Nell said. I look from the plasma over to Kensi. She is talking it all in.

"The website is hosted out of the country. And he uploads his blogs by Internet cafes. He's doing a pretty good job of shielding his identity." Eric said.

"Well, he's advocating the use of militant action, but my guess he has no military experience. He can espouse the use of dirty bombs. Hell, he can buy the materials on the black market, but he doesn't know how to go about it on his own." Callen said.

"That's where Brent Dundas comes in. He's pretending to be a SEAL. Shepherd's pretending to be a revolutionary. It's a match made in heaven." Sam said.

"Until Brent Dundas can't deliver on that bomb, or refuses to, when he realizes what a wing nut Shepherd is, and you've got game over." I said.

"Okay, so how do you smoke out this psychopath before he actually succeeds?" Kensi asked.

"Shepherd may still be looking for someone who can make a bomb." Sam said.

I realized where Sam was going to take this, and spoke up. "Be careful Sam." I said.

Sam looked at me like I was crazy. "The deaths we see if we fail will be far worse than anything you can imagine." I warned.

"Why should we be careful?" Eric asked.

"I was going to say that we should introduce him to a real Navy SEAL before Deeks so rudely interrupted me." Sam said, glaring at me.

"Yeah, I'm going to agree with Deeks on this one. No. No way." Callen said.

"We're running out of time. Our best bet is to draw Shepard out. And the best way to do that is to use me as bait. Ask Ryan Long to set up a meet and help coordinate the long-awaited uprising." Sam said.

"With you as the newest weapon to support the cause?" I said.

"We're gonna have to be prepared to deal with the potential dirty bomb." Callen said.

There was a moment of silence before Kensi spoke up, but in the back of my mind I know that Sam's plan isn't going to work. Shepherd has been spooked, and has gone underground. If we meet with Shepherd, it will be through a secondary party. "Okay. I'll round up detection, protection and containment gear." Kensi said, and then left the bull pen. Callen had a bad feeling about this.

In the armory Hetty was cleaning a piece of equipment for the next time she has to use it. Kensi just happened to walk in to see her boss working. "Ah, Hetty, what are you doing?" Kensi asked.

"Oh, just a little spring-cleaning." Hetty lied. "What's the word on Shepherd?"

"Well, we're setting the trap I just hope he takes the bait." Kensi said.

"Well, be careful. There's nothing as dangerous as a trapped animal." Hetty said.

"True." Kensi said.

"Here, I have something for you." Hetty said, pulling out a makeup brush

"Oh. Wow." Kensi said

"I had it custom-made to look like the one used on Bette Davis in _Death on the Nile_." Hetty said.

"I can't take that, Hetty. I'm sorry." Kensi said.

"Oh, I insist. But be careful." Hetty said. Hetty pressed a button, and a revealed a small blade that appeared out of the handle.

Kensi gasped at the hidden blade. Kensi to ok the brush from Hetty, and admired the instrument up close. "Oh, that is coolest thing I've ever seen."

"I figured you'd like it. Like you, it is both feminine and deadly." Hetty said. Hetty could see her agent bite her lower lip a tiny bit. "Therein lies its true value."

"You think I'm feminine and deadly?" Kensi asked.

"Among many things. It what makes you so good at this job." Hetty said. Kensi smiled brightly at her boss' compliment. "The true challenge is knowing when to stop."

Kensi was confused all of a sudden. At first Hetty was complimenting Kensi on how perfect she was for the job, and now Hetty was saying telling that she quit. "What do you mean?" Kensi asked.

"The job. The importance of what we, the excitement of doing it. It makes it very difficult to give it up. When the day comes for you to hang up your gun—"

"Oh—" Kensi tried to stop Hetty right there.

"And it will. You're going to wanna come home to something more than a collection of antique weapons." Hetty said.

"Unfortunately most of the guys that I meet…are trying to shoot me, so…"Kensi trailed off.

"Not to worry. Sometimes you find them, sometimes they find you. You just have to keep your eyes open." Hetty said.

Kensi started to laugh. She never thought she would live to see the day that her boss would give her relationship advice. Hetty leaned in and whispered. "I know for a fact that a certain agent in this build has a love affair for brunettes."

"But Hetty, N.C.I.S. policy states—" Kensi began.

"For this agent, I don't care what the company handbook said. You're safer by _his_ side, than anyone else in the world." Hetty said. There was a moment of silence. "Enjoy that." Hetty said, and then walked away.

"Thank you." Kensi said.

"Agent." Hetty greeted me as I was entering the armory, and she was leaving.

"Hetty." I greeted. I saw that Kensi hadn't grabbed single piece of gear out. I gave Kensi a _What are you doing_ look as I swing my arms out away from my body. "I thought you were getting the gear."

"I am." Kensi said.

I could hear the hitch in her voice. _Time for playful Deeks to come out._ I thought. "Are you? Because that looks a lot like a makeup brush. Putting on some radiation-proof foundation? You got a little lead-lined mascara in there?" I asked.

"No it's just something Hetty's getting rid of." Kensi said.

I take one look at that brush and recognize immediate where it's from, and its hidden secret. "Really?" I said.

"Yeah, but you have to be careful—"

I press the button to reveal the hidden blade in the handle. I thought about what Kensi said. "It's cute. I approve." I said, handing the brush back to her.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Prince O' Whales bar-

We had been at Prince O' Whales bar for over an hour before the natives started getting restless.

" _Twenty bucks say Shepherd doesn't show._ " I said.

"He better show, or we're all going to be royally screwed." Callen said.

Ryan's fidgeting did not go unnoticed by Sam. "Could you try not to act so nervous" Sam said.

Ryan was about to scratch his head, but decided against it. "I am nervous." Ryan said.

"Then think about something else." Sam said.

"All I can think about is the picture of the burned guy you showed me. You know, you'd be doing me a favor if you erased that memory." Ryan said.

Outside the bar, Kensi and I are in the SRX. Over the radio, we hear Callen ask. " _Deeks, Kensi you in position?_ "

"Yeah. You guys want to bring me some chicken tender." I asked.

Kensi gave me a sideways look, and from my peripheral vision it's the same look Kenzie use to give me. " _Not really. Do you want to get Deeks some chicken tenders, Sam?_ " Callen asked.

" _Sure, if he want to make himself useful and washes my car while he's out there._ " Sam said.

"Hold up, we got someone coming your way." Kensi said, as a young man was entering the building.

Inside, Ryan spotted who the person was the moment he entered. "Drew what are you doing here?" Ryan asked.

"Shepherd sent me." Drew said, as he took his messenger bag off, and placed it on the table.

" _Told you._ " I said.

"What is this Ryan? I thought Shepherd was coming." Sam said.

"It's just for security purposes." Drew said, and then opened the flap.

Sam reached for the bag to make sure there was a gun, but he felt something else. "Shepherd has a few questions for you." When Drew pulled out a handful of three by five cards, Sam relaxed. Drew pulled out a phone, and hit speed dial. The phone only rang once before Shepherd picked up.

"Shepherd." Drew said.

" _I'm here get on with it._ " Shepherd said.

Callen spoke to Eric through the ear piece. "Eric, Shepherd sent a proxy. He's got him on the phone."

" _We're already trying to trace it._ " Eric said.

"What SEAL team were you in?" Drew asked.

Sam scoffed, he couldn't believe that he was playing games with some whack jab, psycho path. "DEVGRU, formerly SEAL team Six, out of Dam Neck, Virginia."

"What's unique about SEAL team 2?" Drew asked.

"Seriously?" Sam asked. There was a moment of silence. "Artic warfare capability. Can I try famous battles for two hundred?"

" _Just answer the questions._ " Shepherd said.

" _Settle down Sam. We are talking to a man who could possibly have a dirty bomb._ " I said.

Before anybody could respond, Drew asked the next question. " _Who was Harry Constance?_ "

Sam glared at Drew, shook his head, and then said. "He's a Vietnam-era Navy SEAL who completed over three hundred missions. All of which you could find on Wikipedia. I thought we were here to blow something up, not play Trivial Pursuit." Sam said.

" _That's enough Drew. Take me off speakerphone._ " Shepherd said.

Over the earpiece, everybody heard Kensi ask. " _Deeks where are you going?_ "

" _To catch a rabbit._ " I said.

Drew grabbed his phone, excused himself, and then exited the building. Callen watched Drew leave as he asked. "Eric how are we doing on that trace?"

" _We're closing in. He's nearby. The calls coming in from a landline._ " Eric said.

Two seconds after Eric finished speaking Kensi warned. " _Sam, Callen, he's running away._ "

Sam was wondering what this was about, and then he saw Drew had left his bag behind. "He left without his bag. Go. Go. Go." Sam shouted.

"Everybody out of the bar now." Callen ordered.

"Come on. Get out of the bar. Go." Sam shout.

Sam and Callen we're the lasts ones to exit the bar. Outside, I was already cuffing Drew when Sam and Callen came out of the bar. A few seconds later, the bomb blew. I called in that there was an explosion at the Prince O' Whales bar. Ten minutes later the emergency personnel showed up. Kensi and I took witness statements from Star and Ryan. Sam was talking to Drew, while an L.A.P.D. officer was filing a report. Callen had drew the short straw, and had to call about the explosion in to OPS.

"We're lucky no one was injured." Callen said.

" _I'll keep digging to see what I can find on your bomb delivery boy. I'll call when we catch some fish._ " Eric said.

Kensi and I were approaching Callen when he was finishing his phone call. "All right. Make sure you let Hetty know it wasn't a dirty bomb."

" _Will do._ " Eric said, and then ended the call.

"The guy's name is Drew Stetson. He's a runaway and all-around misfit. He's got a warrant for a misdemeanor in Arizona." Callen said.

"That's going to be the least of his worries now. California Penal Code 12308: Attempted murder with an explosive device is a life sentence." I said, remembering all those hours I spent studying the law books.

Callen and Kensi were shocked, and probably disgusted that I know that little tidbit. "Thank you, counselor." Kensi said. All I did was give Kensi a silly look, as Sam joined the crew.

"According to our boy here, Shepherd wanted to blow up Ryan here to set an example. He also confirmed Shepherd has a dirty bomb and he's determined to use it." Sam said.

"I don't supposed he knows where." Kensi said.

"Shepherd supposed to reveal when the time is right." Sam said.

"Maybe Eric will get lucky with his phone trace." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Eric was waiting for us the moment we entered OPS. "It was a payphone, and there wasn't a surveillance, ATM or traffic cam within a quarter of a mile." Eric said, as the five of us walked over to the gadget room.

"Shepherd just posted to his blog. It's essentially a call to arms. He's trying to incite his follower into a violent revolt against what he sees as a corrupt government." Nell said.

"He's delusional." I say. And at the moment my phone beeps.

"He's also armed and dangerous. He already killed one person, and he tried to kill us." Sam said. I choose not to check my phone right away.

"We know he has the radiopharmaceuticals, and we've seen that he's learned how to make a bomb." Callen said.

"Got a lot of followers online. It only takes one nut job to encourage copycat behavior." Eric said.

"The spark that will ignite the revolution will be set today." Kensi said.

"They'll want it to be symbolic. And for it to be effective, he'll need to get those radiopharmaceuticals to in the air." Sam said.

While Sam was talking, Callen finally found Hetty. "Well, keep looking for Shepherd and a list of possible targets." Callen said, and the team split up to rundown the lead. I excuse myself to go pick up a piece equipment for detecting bombs. Callen went over to wardrobe to have a quick conversation.

"You avoiding me?" Callen asked.

"If I wanted to avoid you, Mr. Callen, you wouldn't find me." She said.

"What's going on Hetty?" he asked.

"Oh, many things. Perhaps you should be more specific." she said.

They two had gotten into a staring contest, and Callen was the first to respond. "I have to flinch first is that it?" he asked. All Hetty did was move her head back to midline. "Fine. I got a nut job running around the city with a dirty bomb. He's already tried to kill us. Yet you haven't weighed in on this." He said.

"I have alerted the NEST Teams. And appraised the local authorities of the appropriate emergency protocols." she said.

Callen felt stupid for thinking that Hetty was going to sitting idly, while the team was out there trying to catch Shepherd. "Thank you." he said.

"Is there something else you think I should be doing?" she asked.

"I don't know." he said.

"Well, I think you've got it covered Mr. Callen. If I didn't… I'd tell you." she said.

"That's good to know." he said.

There was a moment of silence before Hetty spoke again. "Being in charge sucks, Mr. Callen. Everyone looks to you for guidance and answers, even when you have none to give." Hetty said.

"Well, I've never know you to ever be at a loss for words." he said.

"The true test of a commander is when he is frightened and confused as those who look up to him. In that moment, when you can't find it in yourself…you will find it in them. That's leadership." Hetty said.

There was a pregnant pause as Callen thought over the advice that Hetty just gave him, but Sam had interrupted his thoughts. "G, initially we thought Shepherd would go after a hard target, like a federal building or a courthouse. There's a rally today in Pershing Square to support the troops." Sam said.

The partners shared a look, and then Callen looked at Hetty. Hetty nodded her head. "It's symbolic, easy access, lot of people. Best chance of escape," Callen said, but Sam had already started walking away towards the Challenger.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

My apartment-

I was walking back down to the parking lot after I grabbed Monty. I let Monty into my car, and shut the door. Just as I was reaching for the door handle, my phone beeped again. I pulled my phone out and saw that I had an email, and a text message from Kensi. The text message read that the bombing was going to happen at Pershing Square. I texted Kensi back that I'm on my way. I opened the email, and was confused right from the first line.

 _Phantom-_

 _Hetty just went off the grid. Her final destination is a house in Romania on the Black Sea. This house is also where the head of Cypher is located. I'll brief you when you return._

 _Laruen HunteR_

I have no idea who Lauren Hunter is, but she knows me. She knew my handle back when I was active in Agency. Maybe it has something to do with the Capitol letters. I didn't have time to debate this. I had to get over to Pershing Square.

Pershing Square-

I get out of my car, grab the leash, and let Monty out. I hook the leash to Monty's collar, shut the doors, and make my way into the square. It didn't take me long to find the rest of the team.

"All right, Monty. It's go time. Come on buddy." I said, giving my faithful side kick some encouragement. The back half of Monty's body had been shave.

Callen and Sam are a bit put off by Monty, but they deal with it. Kensi on the other hand, is enjoying seeing the mangy, old dog.

"Hey, Monty." Kensi says in a high pitch voice as she squats down to pet Monty.

"Well, well, look who's back." Callen said.

Sam scoffed when he saw a scar on one of Monty's back legs. "What the hell is that?" Sam asked.

"For your information, he had to have knee surgery." I said.

"Poor thing." Kensi said, still petting Monty.

Monty lets out a pathetic howl. "Listen if there's a bomb here, Monty will sniff it out." I said.

"Good boy, Monty." Kensi said.

"You sure that's a police dog, and not a lab specimen

"Seriously, Deeks, at least get him a pair of pants, all right?" Callen said.

"Just ignore them Monty. They're jealous of me too. All right find the bomb." I said, and then the team splits up to cover more ground. Monty begins wanders off. "Come on, brother, this side first."

Callen and Sam went to the south end of the square, while Kensi went to check the north end. I went up the middle. Monty continue to wander off. "No, no." I felt Monty start to pull in a direct towards Kensi. "Wanna check here? Come, on let's go."

Sam and Callen saw nothing out of the ordinary at first. That was until Callen said a kid with a guitar. "Sam check out Jonny guitar." Callen said.

They didn't take any chances. Even though we didn't have a description of Shepherd, Sam and Callen went to check and make sure Shepherd didn't put the bomb in the guitar.

Kensi had been walking for a little when she saw a purple backpack sitting alone, and next sculpture. "Guys, I think I found something." Kensi said, and then started walking towards the bag. Before Kensi could get to the bag, a young woman ran up and grabbed the bag. Kensi kept watching the woman for a little while longer "False alarm." Kensi said.

The only thing that happened with us is Monty approaching a man in a wheel chair. The man gave Monty's head a quick scratch, and then we were off searching again. Sam and Callen checked the guitar and the case, and didn't find anything. They let him go, and got back to searching the place. I could tell Monty was onto something because he started growling. I dropped Monty's leash, and he went straight to a trash can a few meters in front of us. I looked at the man standing next to the trash can. When Monty approached the trash can he looked up and started barking.

I get a good look at Shepherd. He was a middle age man, who had a scrawny frame. "Must be something good in there." I said.

I reach my hand behind my back, feeling for the butt of my gun. As I was pulling my gun out of my waist band, Shepherd pushed a woman who was walking between us into me, and then ran off.

"I got him. Public Works, guys." I say to my team as I'm put my gun back in my waistband. I then shout to the crowd. "L.A.P.D.! Everybody out of the area!" I say to my team. "Guys, it's in a trash can." I take off running after Shepherd.

The L.A.P.D. officers started herding the crowd away from the bomb as Callen and Sam start making their way towards it. When I catch up to Shepherd again, I draw my side arm. I look for an opening, but I can't find one. Shepherd tried to do some fancy foot work, and rolling, but he lost his balance. Which was a perfect opening for Kensi to come in and trip Shepherd and send him flying down three stairs backwards. Kensi kept her gun trained on Shepherd as I put my gun away, and cuffed him.

"All right, Shepherd. Up!" I said, as I pulled Shepherd to his feet.

And without missing a beat, Shepherd starts running his mouth. "You haven't stopped anything. I'm just one of thousands. The resistance is growing. And soon your authoritarian oppression will come crumbling down." Shepherd said.

"Yeah, you know what they call anarchists in prison, Shepherd?" Kensi paused for effect. "Shower toys."

 _Dang! She's a feisty one indeed._ I thought.

Shepherd tries to muster as much bravado he can. He does a weak chuckle and then spits. Sam and Callen were now getting to the trash can with the bomb in it. They could see the bomb, and they could hear the ticking from the timer counting done. They could also hear the approaching sirens. Sam was reaching into the trash can when Callen stopped him. "Let's let the bomb squad do this." Callen said.

"I'm trained to for this. I can do it." Sam said, wondering what came over Callen.

"I know you are. And you're very good at I, but they're already here." Callen said, pointing at two men wear bomb disposal gear.

Sam had a change of heart. He too wanted to clear out, post haste. "It's be a shame to make them put those hot and heavy suits on for nothing." Sam said.

"Yeah. And you know what it, probably wouldn't hurt if we picked up the pace just a bit." Callen said, and then the two partner tore out of the square.

The four of us were gather out by the squad cars taking in the accomplishment of stopping a terrorist attack right in our own backyard. Kensi was putting Shepherd in the back of a squad car when I decide to rib Sam about doubting Monty. "One day, Sam, this dog will save your life. And I think somebody owes Monty an apology." I said.

"Okay, nice work, mutt." Sam said.

"That's not very nice." Kensi said.

"I was talking to Deeks." Sam said.

I looked at Sam was a sarcastic smile. "Thanks."

"Hey, a sailboat sounds pretty good about now, doesn't it?" Sam asked Callen. When Callen didn't answer right Sam was worried by this change of events. "Yo, you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about." Callen said.

"About what?" Sam asked.

"Something Hetty said. I'm worried about her." Callen said.

"She's worried about you." Sam said.

"Why would she be worried about me?" Callen asked.

"You can be a worrisome guy." Sam joked, cracking a smile. "She pulled me aside to talk about it today."

"Me too." Kensi said. "But not about you. We had a real heart-to-hear today about the future."

I know exactly what's about to happen, but I join this little pow wow for g.p. "Me three. She talked about things changing." I said.

I could see the light bulb go off in Callen's head, and I know the exact reason for it. "Guys, she's putting her affairs in order." Callen said, and then four of run back to our cars.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

We walk right past the bull pen when we enter OPS.

"Hetty?" Callen called out. No answer. Eric came out to meet us, and he didn't look happy. "I've been calling you."

"I'm sorry." Eric said.

"Why didn't you answer my calls? Where is she?" Callen hounded Eric.

"Miss Lange? She's gone." A female voice called.

 _I know that voice._ I thought.

We all turned to see woman, who I haven't seen in over one hundred and seventy-seven years, come walking down the stairs from Ops. And then the email I received earlier makes sense. This woman standing in front of us is Lauren Hunter, but she is actually Laurette Renard.

"She tendered her resignation…effective immediately." the woman said, holding out the folder with the resignation.

I looked at Nell, and she raised her eyebrows at me. If I had any doubts before, I don't anymore. Laurette Renard is the woman standing in front of us. My thoughts were interrupted by Sam asking. "Who are you?" As Callen took the folder from Lara.

"Lauren Hunter. Her replacement." Lauren said.

Callen looked up at her last statement, but it was Sam who spoke first. "Her replacement?"

"Is this a joke?" Kensi asked.

Lara thought it over real quick before answering. "I'm not much of a joker, Agent Blye." Lara said.

"That's not what we remember." Nell said, to no one in particular.

Everybody looked at Nell, most of them with confused looks. "Johanna Jones, it's been a while. When was the last time we spoke?" Lara asked.

"London." Nell said.

"It's a pleasure." Lara said.

Everybody, well just Eric, Sam, Kensi and Callen were confuse by what was just said, but Callen reign it in by saying. "Nell get me Director Vance on the phone." Callen and Nell started to walk away.

"That won't be necessary. Director Vance is coming online in Ops to brief you all momentarily." Lauren said to the group. She turned to speak to Callen privately. "Agent Callen, I'd like to have a word with you in my office when you're finished."

After she finished speak, Lara went to her office, but not before saying. "Detective MacLeod, my office."

My eyes almost became big as saucers when Lara called me out by name. Everybody went their separate ways, but Kensi went to the bull pen first. Kensi looked over her shoulder, and saw the only people of consequence were Lauren Hunter and myself in Hetty's old office. Kensi walked over to my desk, and open the draw. She was trying to find any information that could tie me to Lauren Hunter. She didn't find any evidence to prove our connection, but she did find a dagger with a five inch blade. Kensi unsheathed the blade and saw word a written on it. It was a name actually.

 _Why would Deeks have a blade with his name carved on it?_ Kensi thought. _Unless_.

Kensi flipped the blade over, and saw another name. Kensi wasn't stupid she knew a woman's name when she saw it, and the name was Bella. Kensi was at a loss for words. She knew Hetty was talking about me during their heart-to-heart, and said that she felt comfortable if I was with Deeks, but how can Deeks flirt with me when he has this trinket is his desk.

"Kensi!" Sam called out.

Kensi rushed to sheath the knife, replace it in the draw, shut the draw, and rush upstairs. But it didn't matter. I saw the whole thing. I going to have to find a time when we're not distracted by the mission.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Prague-

It was cold and raining night. A police cruise had passed a subway exit, its lights and sirens going. Seconds later, a short woman passed the subway exit. Seconds after that three men were coming out of the subway and saw the short woman in front of them. One of the men got the idea they could take advantage of the woman. They called out to woman but she wasn't having any of it. She extended her right arm, and a small pistol shout out into her hand from underneath her raincoat. The three men saw the pistol, and decided to walk away. The gun slid back into place, and the woman kept walking. The woman was Hetty.


	32. Familia Part I

In Prague, Hetty had looking for a way to get in touch with the Comescu family, but she shot the two people in front of her. Now she has to wait for the next time a contact for the Comescu's to come around.

"Oh, bugger." Hetty said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Los Angeles-

I was in my car driving to work the morning after Hetty left. I was operating on autopilot because I was going over the conversation I had with Lara the night before.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Fourteen hours ago, OPS-

" _Tell me: are you Ashono MacLeod, or Martin Deeks?_ " Lara asked.

" _I was undercover for about five years as Ashono MacLeod while N.C.I.S. built OPS._ " I said.

" _I have you on the roster as Ashono, though._ " she said.

" _Director Vance knows me as Martin Deeks. Hetty told me yesterday that if I do one last job for her, that she will make Ashono go away._ " I said.

" _Even though you murdered your ex-partner?_ " she asked.

" _Where did you learn that?_ " I asked, keeping the shock off of my face and out of my voice.

" _I have my ways._ " she said.

" _Uhuh._ " I said. There was a moment of silence, and it was filled with tension and resentment. I could feel the tension radiating off of Lara in waves, and I can no doubt tell that Lara can feel the resentment radiating off of me in waves.

" _Look this wasn't my idea._ " she said.

" _Really._ " I said.

" _I just learn about this forty-eight hours ago._ " she said. I just glared at her. " _What was I supposed to? Call and tell you what was going to happen?_ "

" _You sent me that email earlier today._ " I said.

" _I couldn't have sent it any earlier because Hetty would have skinned me alive._ " she said.

" _It never stopped you before._ " I said.

" _Well this is different._ " she said.

" _What do you want to know?_ " I asked, getting to the matter at hand.

" _I want a quick rundown of the team._ " she said.

" _Rundown, how? Like a personality rundown?_ " I asked. Lara nodded her head. " _Callen is a lone wolf. He knows nothing about his past, and if the case involves his past he will go off the reservation. Sam is his wise-cracking partner. Retired from the Navy after spending time as a Navy SEAL. They are loyal to each, and will follow each off the reservation. Kensi is the little sister that wants to hang out with her older brothers. She's loyal to a fault, and has ties to the military._ "

" _Ties how?_ " she asked.

" _Unknown. I've been meaning to ask Jo to look into that._ " I said.

" _Be careful. Some questions are best left unanswered._ " Lara said.

" _In our line of work, unanswered questions can get you killed._ " I said, and then excused myself.

As I was exiting Hetty's office, I heard Sam calling to Kensi from the balcony. I saw that Kensi had no respect for personal privacy because I saw her handling the dagger that Bella had given to me.

N.C.I.S. LA.

I was pulling into the parking garage at OPS after the flashback had finished in my mind. I noticed that Kensi was pulling in after me. I parked the car, and hurried over to her vehicle.

"Morning." Kensi said, but I could her the vocal inflection that she somewhat defensive.

"I have some explaining to do, but we need to hurry into OPS before Callen and Sam. They're going to want to hit the ground running." I said.

Kensi nodded her head, and then we walked into OPS. We entered the bull pen to see Nell and Eric were waiting for us.

"What did you learn?" Kensi asked.

"We're waiting until Callen and Sam to arrive." Nell said.

After putting our bags on our, I noticed that Callen was somewhere else in the building and Sam hasn't arrived yet. I sat on the edge of my desk, as Kensi came around between our desks and stood a few inches from me. I looked her in the eyes and can tell she wants some information.

 _Who's Bella?_ Kensi asked.

 _She was a lover from a long time ago._ I said.

 _How long ago?_ she asked.

I didn't answer that because my phone buzzed in my pocket. As I pulled out my phone, Sam was walking in the front door. Callen was making his way back to the bull pen after calling Hetty again, and getting her voicemail again.

"You try to call her?" Callen asked.

"Three times. I got her voicemail twice. Third time the line was busy." Sam said.

"That was probably me leaving a message. Six times." Callen said.

"There's gotta be more to this." Sam said.

"Yeah, and she knows." Callen said staring at Hunter as they entered the bull pen.

"Did you talk to Hetty? Kensi asked.

"She's not answering." Sam said.

"Do you think she was pushed?" Kensi asked.

"It would take a brave man to push Hetty." I said. I was looking over at Lara that I missed the dirty look that Sam shot me.

"Or an ambitious woman." Kensi said.

"Laruen is many things, but she isn't dumb enough to challenge Hetty for her job. My guess is that Director Vance put her in charge until Hetty returns." I said.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket again. As I fished it out I missed the looks that the team was giving me again. "What do we know about her, Eric?" Callen asked.

"You seriously think I would misuse the entire resources of the Pentagon, Homeland Security and half a dozen other classified databases just to gather Senior Agent Hunter?" Eric asked, but from the look on his face he did exactly that.

"Well that blows don't ask, don't tell out of the water." I said, looking up from my phone.

"I didn't say she was an agent." Eric said. Both Kensi and I tilted our heads in opposite directions "Okay, I did say that. But it was a calculated guess." Eric said. Kensi and Callen shared a knowing look, as I returned my attention to my phone.

"Mm-hm. Is there anything else you'd care to take a guess at?" Callen asked.

"I guess that she's been on a classified assignment. Maybe to some place like, I don't know, oh, say, Murmansk. And then, maybe, like, Warsaw." Eric said. Somethings weren't adding up in Callen's head, which caused him to look at Laruen Hunter in a new light.

"Keep guessing." Sam said.

"I'd also guess that she's been off the grid for two years." Eric said.

"Three." Nell said, which gets Callen's attention. "That's also just a guess."

"Nope." I said, knowing full well that Lara has been silent for far longer than that.

"How long?" Kensi asked.

"I was running mission in C.I.A. and she was active during that time. She made the jump to N.C.I.S. in the late nineties." I said, still staring at my phone and trying to make sense of what I was reading.

"And you lost track of her then?" Callen asked.

"Yep," I said looking at Callen and then over at Lara.

"Who told her to take over for Hetty?" Sam asked.

"That would have to come from the top, Director Vance. But that really is a guess. Not that everything else I said wasn't a guess." Eric said.

Callen started to walk away and get answers directly from Hunter. "You're wasting your time." I said.

Callen shot me a look, but kept walking. "Why?" Nell asked.

"Because she isn't going to tell him anything he wants to know." I said, and then checked my phone again. I saw that Kensi had taken an interest in what I was looking at, so I closed the email.

Callen walked up to Hetty's desk as Hunter was hanging up on the phone. Callen could see that Hunter was upset by the conversation, but he took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"You walked off last night when I wanted to talk to you." she said.

"So who are you?" he asked

"I'm Miss Lange's replacement. She—"

"Did not retire. Not voluntarily." he said.

"You were very close with her. I can understand your confusion." she said.

Callen gave Hunter a pointed look when she called him confused. Callen isn't nearly confused, but he changed the subject when he saw the Warsaw, Poland keychain attachment "Ah. Warsaw." Callen then asked in Polish. "You've been to Poland recently?"

"Warsaw, eight months. And before that… Murmansk." She answered in Poland.

Callen decided to keep this going little foreign language pow wow going. He then changed to Russian. "Russia. I worked there. It was very, very cold."

"You're Russian accent is very good." she said, and then changed to German. "And your German?

"Germans usually mistake me for Austrian." he said, and then changed it to Italian. "And in Rome… they think I'm form the North."

"Milan, of course." she said in Italian, and then changes it to French. "And what about in Paris?"

"In Paris… no matter how good your accent is… they ignore you." he said.

Hunter paused for a moment, and then continued. She asked in the Romany tongue. "Is it true… that you don't know what the "G" stands for?"

"Okay, you got me." he said.

"Hetty's gone, Agent Callen. She told me herself she's not coming back." she said.

"Well she hasn't told me, and since she's not answering her phone—"

"She must not wanna to talk to you." she said, cutting Callen off.

"You don't know Hetty." he said.

"On the contrary." she said.

Callen realized that I was right. Talking to Hunter was like talking to a brick wall. Callen started to walk away, but stopped. Callen prides himself on knowing a lot of languages, but it was bothering him that he didn't know that last one. "Serbian?"

"Not Serbian." she said.

Callen walked away from Hetty's desk.

"Agent Callen?" Hunter said, but Callen didn't stop. "Agent Callen?" Callen kept walking towards the door. Hunter cleared her throat "A word with you Agent Hanna."

Sam thought it over, and then followed suit. Hunter scoffed at her luck. Two rebellious agents, possibly three, and an old friend that didn't trust her. "Oh crap." Hunter said, and then went to make a phone call.

I took this time to make myself scarce. Kensi turned to see me walk away. "Deeks." she said, but I took a page out of Callen's book and kept walking.

Kensi left the bull pen at a jog to catch up with me, while Nell and Eric went back up to OPS. I had swiped Kensi keys when she wasn't looking. When Kensi caught up to me I was in the garage walking towards the SRX. I held out her keys just as she was about to check her pockets. Kensi took the keys, and we got in.

"Care to explain what happened back there?" she asked.

"All I know is that Hetty is making her way towards Romania." I said.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Somewhere in Romania there is a house on the shores of the Black Sea. Beyond that, I have nothing." I said.

"That's it? No other information?" she asked.

"What do you want? A full disclosure?" I asked.

"That would be ideal." she said.

"I met Hunter a few months after I met Hetty. The last time I talked to Hunter was in the mid eighteen hundreds." I said.

"Mid eighteen hundreds? How old are you two?" she asked.

"Old enough. To answer your question from earlier about Bella, not necessarily the exact answer, she isn't going to be a problem because she's dead." I said.

"How long has she been dead?" she asked.

"About three thousand years, give or take." I said.

Kensi was in shock after hearing that I've been around three thousand years, but if she knew the truth that I'm over four thousand years old, she would probably freak. We rode in silence until we got a call from Callen and Sam.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Right after Callen walked out on Hunter-

"You want to tell me where we're going exactly?" Sam asked.

"To see Hetty." Callen said.

"What makes you think I know where she lives?" Sam asked

"Let's start with twelve thirty-seven Hillcrest drive in Encino." Callen said.

"What do you mean, start with?" Sam asked.

"She has three houses that I'm aware of." Callen said.

"Eric?" Sam asked.

"I followed her home a couple of times." Callen admitted.

"A couple of times?" Sam asked, knowing that it was more than that.

"All right, closer to a dozen." Callen said. "She keeps moving. Sleeps in a different house every night."

"Well, that's great. And I get to be there when you tell followed her home." Sam said sarcastically. "She's gonna be pissed we knock on her door."

"Not as pissed as I am." Callen said.

A few minutes later they arrived at Hetty's place in Encino. "Keep going Sam." Callen said.

Sam drove past the driveway. They saw a man in a suit walking back towards the house. Sam parked the Challenger a ways down from the driveway, turned the engine off, took his seatbelt, and thought about the uninvited guests.

"She's got company. Looks like feds. No car out front though." Sam said.

There was a moment of silence before Callen asked. "You getting a bad feeling about this?"

"Yeah, ever since you told me you followed her home." Sam said.

 _I got nothing._ Callen thought, and then he heard some people talking. Callen look out the window to see a lawn service company that they passed when they drove past the driveway. Callen looked at Sam and motioned to the lawn crew. Sam shrugged his shoulders, and Callen out of the Challenger. A few minutes later, Callen is pushing a lawn mower, which he borrowed, up Hetty's driveway.

"How are you doing?" Callen asked, when he got close to the man walking the driveway. The man was Asian male about mid to late thirty's, wearing a brown suit. Back by the garage, Callen could see another man in a suit. "I live next door, Just returning the lawn mower. What's the old girl up to this time? I haven't seen her in a few days. Hey, you guys aren't with the city, are you?"

"Mind your own business, pal." the man said.

"So you are with the city." Callen said.

"Police business. Now get lost." The man said.

"Okay. No problem. You guys are cops. You probably don't mind showing me some ID?" Callen asked.

The man pretended to reach for his badge and then attempted to shove Callen on the ground, but Callen was already reaching for the man. Callen tripped the man up, and then the two men reached for their guns. Callen had his gun out first and put two rounds into the downed man's chest. The man back by the garage drew his weapon and returned fire. Callen took cover by a planter as another man exited the front of the house. "Federal agent! Drop the weapon!" Callen shouted, and then fired two rounds into the man who exited the front door.

Callen fired two rounds at the man in the garage, but he duck behind the support for cover. At this point, Sam drove the Challenger up the drive way drawing fire. Sam stepped out of the car, and fire three rounds into the man. Callen checked the first man he killed for ID, and came up with nothing. Sam kicked the gun away from the man he killed, and then checked for a pulse.

"Well, I guess they're not feds, Sam." Callen said, as he entered the garage. Sam was looking for an ID on the body, when the door to the house opened and a fourth man opened fire with a submachine gun.

"Gun!" Callen shout, as the partners took cover behind Hetty's Jaguar.

After the man stopped firing, he turned and ran back into the house. Sam and Callen entered the house and checked for any more people. Sam went in through the kitchen, while Callen entered through a side door.

"Hetty?" Callen called out.

They checked a few more rooms, and thought they were finished until they heard a door open. They saw the man who shot at them take off across the lawn. Callen and Sam ran back out to the Challenger, and chased after the man. The pursuit went on for a few blocks with the two cars dodging traffic, and running at least one red light. It ended with the man they we chasing ran into a park car and got shot up into the air. The car hit the street rolled until it landed on its wheels. Sam parked the car, and the partners jumped out, drawing their guns. They approached the car to see that the driver had died in the crash.

"Not good." Sam said.

Called huffed out a breath, pissed that the man died in the crash. "Not good at all." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. LA.

Kensi and I received a call to meet Callen and Sam at one of Hetty's many places. "Why don't you have multiple house, or apartments for that matter?" Kensi asked.

"Not necessary." I said.

"You're one of the most wanted people on the planet." she said.

"The last time people came after me, I left a trail of bodies the width of the Grand Canyon." I said.

"Never mind." Kensi said.

We drove to Hetty's place in relative silence, but Kensi is more relaxed compared to earlier. When we got to the Hetty's place, we had to park on the street because C.S.U. blocked the driveway. I saw it before Kensi did, but she was the first to respond. _Hetty's Jag got shot up. Oh, she is going to be so pissed._ I thought. Kensi groaned when she saw the bullet holes in the in the trunk.

"Oh, that is bad." I said.

"That is very bad." Kensi said.

"Did uh… did you do that?" I asked.

"They did." Callen said.

"You took cover behind Hetty's Jag?" Kensi asked, sounding every as bit shocked as the look on her face.

"What are you? Insane?" I asked, not keeping the incredulous look off of my face.

"They were shooting. It was close." Callen said.

Neither Kensi nor I saw Sam walking up behind us, and he was shaking his head our audacity. "You think Hetty's going to be okay with that?" I asked.

"What would you want us to do? Get shot?" Sam asked.

"Well, personally, I would have risked it." Kensi said

Sam was having doubts, but it was my next statement that made him realize the error of their ways. "I know. Big bad mama bear and her Jaguar." I said. Kensi grunted her agreement, as I took a breath before continuing. "Just saying."

Kensi and I walked out of the garage, leaving the two bad boys alone to think on their massive screw up. Sam was shaking his head. "It's your fault. You should have plugged that guy." Sam said.

"Know anybody with a body shop?" Callen asked, as they walked towards the house.

Inside the house, Kensi and I had found one of Hetty's _trophy_ rooms, although it's more of a hallway. "The inner sanctum." I said.

"God, this feels weird, huh?" she asked.

"Feels wrong." I said. "It's kind of freaking me out, actually."

"Yikes." Kensi said, when saw a display case filled with toy birds.

"Listen, if we have to go through stuff, I am not doing the bed room." I said. Kensi shot me a look as I walked away, but she turned to see Callen and Sam walking through the foyer.

"Hey, what do we know about those guys?" Kensi asked. I was listening to the conversation, but I happened to find a laptop laying around.

"They weren't carrying IDs." Sam said.

"So freelancers." Kensi said.

"Maybe former military." Sam said.

Okay. Did Eric talk to Hetty?" Kensi asked.

"Not yet." Callen said, checking out a piece of art work hanging in the foyer.

I hit a dead end with the computer. The computer was password word protected, and I entered an incorrect password twice. "I found something" I said.

The team came walking in to the study: Sam and Callen on my left as Kensi walked around to my right.

"Hetty interruptus." I said, and then I thought about how disturbing that sounded.

Kensi was really disturbed by my comment. "I really wish you hadn't said that." Kensi said.

"Me too." I said.

Callen thought about how they were going to get into the computer, but then decided about going back to talk to Hunter again.

"Grab the laptop, and let's head back." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

As we were entering the main hall, Hunter was also entering. Callen was ticked off. I could feel something, but his words to Hunter proved my assertion. "If you know what this is all about? Now would be a good time to tell us." Callen said.

 _Wow._ I thought.

"You're asking the wrong person." Hunter said.

"Oh, then who should I be asking?" Callen asked.

"Me." a male voice said from the steps.

We turned to see Director Vance had made a personal appearance. "Ops, now. All of you." Director Vance ordered.

As I passed Director Vance on the stairs, we both nodded to each other. This is our first meeting in person. From behind, I heard Vance ask Callen. "Agent Callen, tell me you know what's going on?"

The two men talked as they climbed the stairs. "Well, I know that Hetty has disappeared. We just shot three guys searching her house. And I'm hoping to hell you know more than that." Callen said.

The two men stopped at the top of the stairs, but everybody else had already entered ops. "I'm as shocked as you are that Hetty resigned. I flew out here to try to talk her into staying. I arrived to find that she had already left." Vance said.

"And her replacement?" Callen asked.

"That's Hetty's suggestion. Take my word for it, Agent Hunter is more than up to the task." Vance said.

"You do a background check on Hunter? Or did Hetty help her get on with N.C.I.S.?" Callen asked.

"Why?" Vance asked.

"All of them—Hetty, Deeks and Hunter—have a history." Callen said. There was a moment of silence, and then Callen got back to the topic at hand. "What did she say?"

"That she was tired. She's had enough." Vance said.

"You don't believe that." Callen said.

"No. Neither do you, Agent Callen. What the hell has she gotten herself mixed up in?" Vance asked.

"I don't know. And if wasn't for Deeks, I would say that Hetty doesn't think she can get out of it alive." Callen said.

"What do you mean?" Vance asked, blind-sided by Callen's statement.

"You hear about that incident three months ago?" Callen asked.

"Was that the time Dees ended up in the hospital before the four of you ended up on that oil rig?" Vance asked.

"Yeah, that incident." Callen said.

"No, what happened?" Vance asked.

"Deeks took two shoots to the chest, but he didn't have a single wound, either entry or exit, on his body." Callen said.

Director Vance stood up straight when he heard that I didn't have any injuries, and then walked to ops. I was in the corner of the room when Director Vance entered, but neither Sam nor I missed his glance in my direction when he entered the room.

"Latest please, Eric?" Vance asked when he entered ops.

 _And we're off._ I thought as Eric started speaking. "Running fingerprints and facial recognition, but still no positive ID on any of the shooters." Eric said. Director Vance look down at Nell. "That's all I got." Eric said.

"Did Hetty asked either of you to do any off-the-book intel gather?" Vance asked both Nell and Eric.

"No, not lately." Nell answered.

"No, nothing urgent." Eric said.

"Any ending cases? Maybe she was trying to get out in front of something." Sam said.

"We're not privy to any pending operations. We don't have access until Hetty gives it to us." Eric said.

"Zulu, November, Tango…" Director Vance began speaking, and it only took Eric a moment to realize that he better take his seat at the computer. After Eric finished typing, Vance continued typing. "One-one-seven-nine."

When Eric finished typing in the password, six windows opened on the big screen. All of the windows had file folders on them. "Check the sign-in log. Open the last file that was accessed the most in the last two weeks." Callen said.

Eric typed in the command on his key board, and the file in question was brought up, front and center. Hetty had a password to protect the file. "Open it." Vance said.

Eric hesitated for a moment. He did not like where this was going, but he still opened the file anyways. Eric received a message that read _access denied_. Vance leaned down, and entered his password. As he was typing in the password, Eric looked away to give Director Vance privacy. After the file had been opened, the computer started beeping like crazy.

It took Eric a moment to realize the problem. "Crap we got a virus." Eric said.

"Tell me that didn't just wipe out our entire database, Eric." Vance said.

Eric neutralize the virus and realized that they weren't in any trouble. "No. We're good. It was a localized to that file. It's probably a one-time virus that's activated to erase the next time you open the file." Eric said, looking up at Direct Vance.

"The last name to access that file?" Vance asked.

"Uh…" Eric said, and then accessed the logged to find out who opened the file last. On the computer screen the name _H Lange_ appeared "Hetty."

Everybody in the room was shocked that Hetty went to such lengths to hide the purpose of the file.

"Eric, what's the code name to the file?" Hunter asked.

Eric typed in the command, and then screen scrolled down to two words: _Operation Comescu._ "Operation Comescu." Eric said, unsure of what he was reading.

Director Vance and Lauren Hunter both shared a look, which everybody in the room caught. "What's Comescu?" Callen asked. And then one by one, Hunter and Director Vance left the room without a backwards glance. We all shared a look, but it was Sam who was the first to speak. "Deeks."

"Yeah." I said, almost jumping out of my skin.

"I need you to get on the phone with someone at the agency, and ask them to dig up everything they can about this _Operation Comescu_." Sam said.

"We'll need it before we leave." Callen said.

"I'm on it." I said, exiting the room.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Prague-

Hetty had been sitting in that same house with the two dead men at least six, maybe more, hours and nobody connected to the Comescu's had shown up yet. It was morning, so Hetty decided to make herself a pot of tea. Hetty took a sip of the freshly brewed drink and placed the cup back on the saucer. Not even a second later, the front door opened and closed. Hetty could hear laughing, and a drunk man speaking. Most likely to his lover.

Hetty looked up to see that the man and his woman were being followed by a subordinate. They three were in shock when they saw Hetty, but were even more in shock when they saw the two dead bodies. "Yeah." the man said, giving his full attention to Hetty. The subordinate walked over and checked the bodies.

"I have a message for Comescu." Hetty said.

"Obviously an important message for you to kill two of my men." the man in charge said.

"I apologize. It was an overreaction." Hetty said.

"Oh. Theirs? Or yours?" he asked. Hetty was silent because it was she who overreacted. "Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. My message does." Hetty said.

"Well, tell me and I will pass it on." he said, grabbing some fruit from the pie on the table.

"I'm sorry, my message needs to be delivered in person." Hetty said.

The man reached for a gun, and pointed it directly at Hetty. "I could shoot you right now." He threatened.

"Go ahead. But when Comescu finds out what you've done, we'll both be dead together." Hetty said.

Hetty could see that her words were being taken seriously, and then he ordered his subordinate to prepare a car.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Los Angeles, OPS-

"Director, I got a hit on our dead guys." Eric said.

Vance was on the phone when Eric found a lead, and told them that he would call them back. "Put it up." Vance said.

Eric put the information up as he began speaking. "All four had military records." Eric said.

"All cashed out. All different units. No common vector." Vance said.

"I got it. Guns for hire." Eric said.

"So if I wanted to hire them, who would I call, Eric?" Vance asked.

Eric didn't anticipate the question. "Working on it." Eric said.

"Work faster." Vance said, and then left ops.

Down in the gadget room Kensi, Sam, Nell and I were trying to find a lead on Hetty. "The car was in the garage, maybe she got a rental." I suggested.

"No, at least not in her name." Nell said.

"Passport?" Sam asked.

"Nothing. If Hetty's traveling out of the country, she's traveling under an alias." Nell said.

There was a moment of silence as Director Vance came to join the party. "Comescu operated out of Europe. If that's the case she's tracking, that's where she's gone." Vance said.

"Then to track her, I'll need to find out which alias she's traveling under." Nell said.

Vance walked over and stood next Nell. "Miss Jones. For your eyes only." Vance said.

Sam, Kensi and I vacated the work station. Once we were out of ear shot, Director Vance continued. "Access is limited to Hetty's documented aliases. No downloading, no printing, no copying. You report only to me. Understood?" he asked.

"Got it." she said.

"I back up all critical files to my SkyDrive." He said.

"Hm. Smart." she said, and then brought up the log-in for SkyDrive. "ID and password."

Nell looked away as Director Vance leaned in to type in his password, but leaned back when a thought crossed him mind. "You don't have keystroke recognition software installed on this computer do you, Miss Jones?" he asked.

"Hmm. No sir." she said, disabling the software.

"I'm pleased to hear it." He said, as then type in ID and password. "Done. Where's Hunter?"

"Uh, I don't know. Bathroom?" Nell said.

Director Vance left looking for Hunter, who at this moment was in the shooting range. Hunter was putting on front, acting like she doesn't know how to handle a gun. Or that's what it looked like to Callen when he approached the door to the range. Hunter reeled in the target, and Callen decide to strike up a conversation.

"Don't get much field work?" Callen asked entering the range.

"I'm not really known for my marksmanship." she said, grabbing a fresh target.

"Well, you're not really known for much at all. In fact, no one that works here, except for Deeks, has ever heard of you." he said.

"Oh, well, that's all right. Because I've never really heard of any of them. Deeks on the other hand, well I owe him for a getting me out of a tight spot a while back." she said. "The only person I've heard of is you."

"And Hetty." he said.

"Yeah." she said. There was a moment of silence before Hunter said. "You don't like me."

"I don't know you." he said.

"Whatever happened to first impressions?" she asked.

"Usually unreliable, except maybe in your case." he said, which drew a snicker from Hunter. "Who's Comescu?"

Hunter turned and loaded her gun. "That's a question for the director." she said.

"Yeah, well, I'm asking you." he said.

Hunter had enough of Callen's ignorance and second guessing. "Hetty trusts me. She would not have recommended me to take over if she didn't. Doesn't that count for something?" she asked.

"It should count enough for you to tell me the truth. Who is Comescu?" he asked again.

"I'm sorry Callen, but I can't answer that." she said.

"Then answer this: what did Deeks do for you _a while back_?" Callen asked.

Hunter didn't hesitate to answer, although she did lean in and whisper it in Callen's ear. Callen leaned back in shock at what he just heard, but Hunter turned back to the firing cubicle and put her glasses and headset on. Callen exited the range, and went to look for Director Vance. Hunter heard the door close, but turned to make sure that Callen left. She then proceeded to empty the entire magazine into the ten ring.

Back in the main hall, Callen found Director Vance in Hetty's office. "Who's Comescu?" Callen asked, not beating around the bush.

"That's classified, Agent Callen. You haven't been read-in." Vance said.

"Then read me in." Callen said.

"I can't do that." Vance said. Callen looked at him sideways. "Hetty trashed the file, remember?"

"You're telling me that was the only copy?" Callen asked.

"As far as I know, yes. Now, its possible Hetty may have had a backup but you're going to have to ask her once we track her down." Vance said.

"Agent Hunter's read-in?" Callen asked.

"She is." Vance said.

"Great. I'll have her brief me." Callen said.

"It's a thin file, Agent Callen. It's light on facts, it's heavy on speculation." Vance said.

"Okay, then why exactly was Agent Hunter read-in?" Callen asked, his patience was being sorely tested.

"Because she specializes in linguistics. The decision was Hetty's Agent Callen. She's highly regarded, not just by this agency. You're gonna have to trust her. And you're gonna have to work with her, fast. Because if we don't find Hetty, what now is a temporary position will become permanent." Vance said.

Callen was about to remind Director Vance of their conversation from earlier, but Eric came rushing into Hetty's office. "Director, I've found him." Eric said. When he realized that the director and Callen were having a serious conversation, Eric said. "It can wait."

"No, it can't Eric." Vance said.

"You found who?" Callen asked.

"The pro-team's booking agent. His name is Bernie Fisher. Photo and his current GPS location have just been uploaded." Eric said.

"Sounds like we're done, here Agent Callen. Bring him in." Director Vance said.

Eric was the first to leave, followed by Callen. But what Director Vance didn't know was that I had heard the whole conversation. It was at this moment I decided to confront Director Vance about his decision to keep Callen in the dark about Operation Comescu. I received an email about an hour ago from my contact in C.I.A., but I had to do him a favor. When he told me what the favor entail, I didn't even hesitate because it involve screwing Cypher over.

"Ah, Director Vance, just the person I was looking for." I said, walking around to the front of the office.

"You were looking for me, or you just happened to find me in my office." Vance said.

"It's not your office. It's Hetty's office still." I said.

"You seem optimistic about our chances in finding Hetty alive." Vance said.

"Unlike you, and the rest of my team, I know what Hetty is capable of." I said.

"What is that?" Vance asked.

"That particular question you're going to have to ask Hetty to answer because she is very picky about people knowing the truth about us." I said.

"You do realize—" Vance began, but I cut him off.

"Let me make this clear. I have two things to tell you, so if I want you I would listen very carefully." I said.

"I'm listening." Vance said.

"First thing is I answer to Hetty, and only Hetty. What I am is above any government employee's paygrade, even the presidents. I've seen things that would make that time you were out with Eli David look like child's play." I said.

"How do you—"

"We all have our contacts in the government. Both domestic, and abroad" I said.

"You know what Operation Comescu is about?" Vance asked.

"How long before you have to tell Agent Callen that Comescu's want him dead for something that his grandfather did? Because I can guarantee you that when you tell Callen—and you will have to tell him," I said cutting Vance before he could deny that he will have to tell Callen. "Callen is going to leave to rescue Hetty."

"That was the second thing." Vance asked.

"Yes. I want you to remember this moment, and consider yourself warned." I said, and then got up to leave the office.


	33. Familia Part II

Boat shed-

The five of us had been at the boat shed for all of ten minutes, no interrogation had begun, and Bernie was sweating. He was dripping like a leaky faucet. Callen was walking circles around the table.

"Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase _sweatin' a suspect_." I said.

"True story." Kensi said.

On the screen, Bernie looked at Sam, who was just staring at him. " _I got a condition. A medical condition_." Bernie said.

" _Don't worry its common. Lot people sweat when they lie._ " Sam said.

" _I'm not lying. Why would I lie?_ " Bernie asks nervously.

" _Facing fifteen to twenty, hell, I'd lie, Bernie. Would you lie, Sam?_ " Callen asked.

" _I'd lie like there's no tomorrow. Actually fifteen years in military prison, there is no tomorrow._ " Sam said.

" _What do you mean, military prison?_ " Bernie asked.

" _Military crime._ " Callen said.

" _Military investigation._ " Sam said.

" _Military prison._ " Callen said.

" _But I'm not a military. Look at me. I hate the military._ " Bernie said, attempting to prove his innocence.

" _Careful._ " Sam said.

" _I'm a pacifist for God's sake._ " Bernie said.

" _Pacifist don't go down very well in military prison._ " Sam said. A funny thought crossed Sam's mind. " _Well, actually, they do go down._ "

I could see Bernie decided to be straight up with Callen and Sam. " _Listen, this is not a lie, okay? I just book them. I don't know what they do or how they do it. They don't tell me, I don't ask. I'm just a booking agent. Mr. Ten Percent, you know?_ " Bernie said.

" _Only ten percent?_ " Callen asked, shocked by this admission.

" _Okay, thirty-five._ " Bernie corrected.

" _There he goes lying again._ " Sam said looking up at Callen.

" _Can I have some water?_ " Bernie asked.

" _You know in military prison, they only get water twice a day._ " Sam said. " _Did you know that, G?_ "

" _I didn't know that, Sam. I guess we're gonna have to hold off on the water there, Bernie?_ " Callen said.

I had got up from my chair to grab a soda. When I returned to my chair, Sam was showing Bernie photos of our dead guys. "Ever see anything like it?" I asked Kensi.

Nope." she said.

On the monitor, we heard the Bernie asked. " _Oh my God. Why do they all look dead?_ "

" _Because we killed them._ " Sam said.

They had spooked Bernie. " _What do you wanna know? I'll tell you everything._ " Bernie said.

" _What were they looking for?_ " Callen asked.

" _A file. Probably on a computer or one of them thumb drives._ " Bernie said.

" _What file?_ " Callen asked.

" _I only got a name, I got no idea what's on it, okay?_ " Bernie asked.

" _What was the name of the file, Bernie?_ " Callen asked getting in Bernie's face. His patience was being tested.

" _Operation Comescu._ " Bernie said, shrinking away from Callen like a dog know it was in trouble with its master.

Callen and Sam were a little surprised by what they just heard.

"Yeah, we saw that coming." I said. Kensi kept her mouth shut, and listened to the rest of the conversation. " _What were the arrangements_?" Callen asked.

" _Fifty grand up front. I was supposed to call them when we got the file. Another fifty on delivery._ " Bernie said.

" _Who called you?_ " Callen asked.

" _The guy himself._ " Bernie said.

Callen shook his head, waiting for an answer. " _What guy?_ " Callen asked.

" _Grigore Comescu._ " Bernie said.

This got Sam and Callen's attention. " _Only he didn't call. We met. Over coffee._ " Bernie said.

I heard Kensi gasp when Bernie admitted to meeting Grigore Comescu in person. "And did not see that coming." I said, shocked that a man from the Comescu family was in town.

" _Comescu is here in Los Angeles?_ " Callen asked.

" _Yeah. Honest to God, I'm not lying._ " Bernie said, afraid of what Callen might do.

Callen looked at Sam, and then left. It took Sam a few moments, but then he started to pack up the photos and the four of us headed back to OPS.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Eric had pulled up Grigore Comescu's file, and had it on the big screen waiting for us when we returned. Nell, Eric, Director Vance, and Lara were already up in ops. "Hetty must have found out Comescu was looking for his file." Sam said.

"Explains why she planted the virus in it." Kensi said.

"Trying to stay one step ahead." Sam said.

"We've got Comescu's number. He's expecting a call. Simple plan—we offer him what he wants." Callen said.

"The file." I said.

"I'll pose as a member of the pro-team. Tell him we're cutting Bernie out of the deal." Callen said.

"He makes the meet, we grab him." Sam said.

"Any chance Bernie Fisher is lying?" Vance asked. There were varying degrees, but we all said no. "Well, I'm glad to see you all share the same view. Don't mess it up." Vance said.

Sam, Kensi, and I left but Callen stayed behind for any further information. Before I left the room, I paused long enough for Lara to see me. I glared at her, but she ignored me. Not surprised there. I thought and then walked out of the room, but it was not missed by Callen. Callen approached Director Vance openly, and did not mince any words. "The only intel we have on Grigore Comescu are some blurry surveillance photos from Interpol. La Police Nationale file from Paris linking him to people-smuggling in Poland. Hetty must have known more. Why else would she have been tracking this?" Callen asked.

"I'm acutely aware of that fact, Agent Callen." Vance said.

"So brief me on Operation Comescu." Callen said.

"Agent Hunter, does Agent Callen have the necessary information to proceed?" Vance asked.

"Yes, director." Hunter said.

"Then that's all the information you need to know, Agent Callen." Vance said.

Callen was pissed. He looked from Director Vance, to Hunter who was standing directly behind. Hunter just stared back at Callen. When Callen turned to walk away he shook his head. He should have known that he was going to get stonewalled every step of the way. Then he remembered that I still haven't gotten back to him with information about on the Comescu's.

"And Agent Callen…" Director Vance said. Callen turned around to face the director. "I'll be the one to interviewing Comescu when you bring him in."

Callen didn't say anything. He just turned and walked out the door. After the door shut, Director Vance turn to face Hunter. "Any chance that Hetty's analysis is wrong?" Vance asked.

"No. Hetty didn't get it wrong." Hunter said, and then walked out.

N.C.I.S. L.A.-

South Broadway street-

When we pulled up to the meeting place, I got a call from Callen. " _Did you hear back from your contact yet?_ " Callen asked.

"Yeah." I said

" _Give us the run down. How big is the file?_ " Sam asked.

"It's a pretty big file." I said.

" _Is it specific?_ " Callen asked.

"We'll be leaving with the next six hours. Sending you the file now." I said. I forwarded the email that I got from my contact in the C.I.A. to Callen.

Callen, Kensi and I got out of our vehicles, and got in position. Sam stayed in his car. A few minutes later, after he bought some coffee, Callen said. " _In position, Sam_ "

" _Deeks, heads up. He's out there somewhere._ " Sam said.

"Roger that, Sam." I said, looking up from my newspaper. Kensi was standing about ten feet away listening to an iPod.

" _Eric picture up?_ " Sam asked.

" _Picture's up, Sam._ " Eric said.

A few seconds later, a boy on a skateboard approached Callen with a sticky note in his hand. " _Hey, um, some guy, he gave me ten bucks to give you this._ " he said.

" _What guy?_ " Callen asked.

The boy didn't answer. He gave Callen the note, and then skated off. " _Something's up. Hold your positions._ " Sam said.

" _Meeting's changed, Sam. Rooftop across the street._ " Callen said, and then crossed the street.

" _G, this is not a good idea. We don't have rooftop cover. G, are you reading me?_ " Sam asked.

"I won't bother asking the obvious question." I said.

" _What's the obvious question?_ " Director Vance asked.

"It's secluded. No one else. He wants to make sure he's alone." Kensi said.

"That cuts both ways. It leaves Comescu exposed as well." I said.

" _He'll have back up. At least one guy with him._ " Sam said. Sam paused for a moment because it dawn on him why else Comescu would want to move this meeting off the streets. " _Plus high cover._ " I could hear Sam get out of his car. As he was speaking, I heard the door shut. " _The high-rise above you overlooks the rooftop. That's where I'd be. Kensi, Deeks, check it._ "

Callen stepped onto the elevator, pull the door down, and pressed the button for the top floor. Sam was already climbing the stairs, stopping every time he turned a corner. Making sure he wasn't walking into an ambush. Kensi, and I were behind the eight ball because we haven't entered the building yet. Callen had already exited out onto the roof. When he turned the corner he saw, at a first glance at least, Grigore Comescu. Callen made his way up to him. When Callen got closer, he knew it was Grigore, and Grigore was smoking a cigarette. Callen approached Grigore cautiously. He didn't want Grigore to get spooked.

"I like rooftops. You can be alone. You can enjoy the view. You can smoke. You can throw people off." Grigore said, pausing between every sentence.

"Heh." Callen said.

"You like rooftops?" Grigore asked.

"Not particularly. You got my money?" Callen asked.

"You have my file?" Grigore asked.

Over the radio Callen heard Sam say. " _Eric you're going to have to be my eyes. First sign of trouble, you understand?_ "

" _You got it Sam._ " Eric said.

In the building across the street, Kensi and I had just found the access to the rooftop. We drew our guns, and then made our way outside. As we exited out onto the roof, Kensi looked one way as I looked the other way in case we walked into a trap.

On the rooftop across the street, Callen continue the conversation. "They tell us there might be a woman in the house. She wasn't there." Callen said.

"You were fortunate. I know others who were not. The file." Grigore said sternly.

Callen handed over a flash drive. "This woman, you say she's causing you problems?" Callen asked.

"Not for much longer." Grigore said.

"You wanna tell us where she is, we can take care of her for you." Callen said.

Grigore looked up at Callen with a puzzled look on his face. "Not necessary. We have her." Grigore said.

Callen was not happy about that. Across the street, Kensi and I were edging our way along the side off the building. Kensi stopped, and then looked back at me. I nodded my head, and then Kensi peeked around the corner. When she looked back at me, Kensi signaled that she saw one shooter. Across street, Grigore booted up the computer and accessed the thumb to see that it was empty. Across the street, the two men heard two gunshots. Callen heard a man shouting in Romanian that it was a trap. Callen shot the man yelling about it being a trap, while Sam busted out onto the roof, killing Grigore.

Grigore's body fell to the roof below. Callen looked over, and saw that Grigore wasn't moving. Sam walked over and also saw Grigore's dead body.

"Kensi, Deeks, what's you status?" Sam asked.

" _We're good. One down._ " Kensi said.

Callen wasn't happy, but he had inform Director Vance about what happened. "Eric, tell Director Vance Comescu's dead." Callen said.

" _He, um, knows._ " Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Back at OPS, Director Vance and Hunter were working on random files and other paperwork, when Nell approached Hetty's desk. "I found Hetty. Well, not exactly, but we're on her trail." Nell said. Hunter approached Hetty's desk, as Director Vance stood up. "She bought a ticket to Prague under one of her aliases, Gloria Edwards. She then used a credit card under the same name and booked a hotel yesterday. And last night she used the card to pay for a cab to an address in the west of the city."

"She's not wasting any time." Director Vance said.

"She's not bothering to cover her tracks. It's like she doesn't think it matters anymore." Nell said.

"Was it a one-way or round trip ticket?" Lara asked.

"That's the weird part. It was round trip." Nell said.

Lara and Director Vance shared a look, but didn't say anything because we had returned. "Comescu's people have Hetty." Callen said.

"Yeah, I heard. We'll find her I'm putting a team on it." Vance said.

 _You had your chance, and you let it slip through your fingers._ I mouthed to Lara, all she did was roll her eye.

"You have a team." Callen said.

"Not in Prague, I don't." Vance said.

Sam was taken back by this admission. Callen looked over at Hunter to see if this was true, and as usually she had a straight-look on her face. "How long have you known she's been in Prague?" Callen asked.

"Miss Jones just told me." Vance said.

"Don't even get mad at her. Jo was just doing her job. Oh, Director Vance." I said.

"Remember that moment." Vance said, not even bothering to look at me.

"Yep." I said.

"What?" Kensi asked.

"Just watch." I said.

Callen was about to look back at me, and then he remembered my warning from when we started this case. "I need a ticket on the next available flight." Callen said.

"Not necessary. I'll send a team from field office in Paris." Vance said.

"Great they can pick me up when I land in Prague." Callen said.

"You're not going to Prague." Vance said.

"You won't be able to stop him." I said.

"I speak Czech. I speak Romanian. I have contacts, they can help us." Callen said.

"That actually won't be necessary." I said.

"Deeks, shut up." Sam said.

"Actually Deeks had a point. We won't need any of Callen's contacts." Kensi said taking my side.

"None of that matters because you are no longer on this case, Agent Callen." Vance said.

"Then give me a reason. Tell me why? What is Operation Comescu about?" Callen shouted.

"It's about you, Agent Callen. Operation Comescu is all about you." Vance said.

There was a pregnant pause before Director Vance spoke. "Operation Comescu is an ongoing investigation into a Romanian crime family. You dream up the worst pain and suffering a man can inflict on another man, Comescu Family had done worse. They done much worse."

Sam and Callen shared a look. "I don't have to ask you if you remember Dobrashin Garasovic, do I?" Vance asked.

There was another pause. I remember there was a case earlier in the year when Callen went off the grid, and Sam followed him. "Garasovic was Romany. Just like the Comescus. He was trying to contact you. He was trying to warn you." Vance said.

"Warn me about what?" Callen asked.

"That's what Hetty's trying to find out. That's what she's working on. Operation Comescu is hers and her alone." Vance said.

Callen looked over at Hunter, but all she did was lower her gaze. "She found out…" Callen asked.

"The Comescu family wants you dead, Agent Callen." Vance said.

I looked at Nell, while everybody else was in shocked at the revelation of what was just dropped in our laps. "Why?" Sam asked.

"Some sort of long-running family feud as far as we can tell." Vance said

"I don't have any family." Callen said. Vance and Hunter both stared at Callen. "They think I do?" Callen asked.

Both Vance and Hunter nodded their heads. "They probably mistake you for somebody else." Vance said.

"Probably." Callen said. Callen was silent for a moment, and then said. "Hetty was trying to protect me."

"Yeah, that's you can't go to Prague." Vance said.

"That is why I have to go to Prague." Callen countered.

"Hetty has resigned her position. She's operation outside the authority of this agency. We will send a team from Paris. We'll find her. We'll try to bring her back. And we'll try to get her the hell out of there. And you will not—You will not be a part of that team." Director Vance said.

Callen had enough of the stonewalling. It took him all of ten seconds to reach into his coat pocket, and pull out his badge and lay on Hetty's desk. Then he grabbed his gun from the holster in the small of his back, and laid on the desk next to it. Callen turned and walked away. I looked at Lara, who was staring at me in wide-eyed shock. I mouthed. _Sam is next. Followed by Kensi._ Sam hesitated a moment. The military man in him knew this was a bad idea. But the partner in him knew that he had to follow Callen. And like that Sam produced both his badge and his gun, laid them both on the desk, and then walked away. Kensi didn't even hesitated. She produced her badge and gun, laid them, and followed Sam.

I didn't say anything. I didn't even look at Director Vance, or Lara. I pulled my gun and badge, laid them on the table, and walked out.

"I'm shocked." Hunter said.

"I know what his exact words would be. " _Somehow "I told you so," just doesn't quite say._ " Vance said, knowing pretty much what my exact words would have been.

"Prague's a big city. They won't even know where to start looking." Hunter said.

Nell cleared her throat, getting their attention and then said. "I automatically uploaded all of the Prague addresses and information into the system. It's already on their cell phones. I'm sorry." Nell said.

Hunter shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Find her, Agent Hunter. Before they all get killed." Director Vance ordered.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

L.A.X.-

"When we land in Prague, don't both looking for a black market dealer." I said, as we were taking our seats on the plane.

"Why? We're going to need weapons." Sam said.

"Yes, and I know where to get them." I said.

"Hetty have a safe house in Prague?" Callen asked.

"And every major city around the world." I said.

The plane crew went through the safety briefing, and then the pilot taxied the plane out onto the runway. I spent so much time sleeping on planes, that from the time the plane took off I was asleep until we made our next stop in New York. I was asleep again as soon as the plane started taxiing out again.

When the plane touched down in some European city, I couldn't remember which one, I noticed that that we were unable to avoid the security cameras. _Crap!_ I thought. It won't be long before someone finds this footage, and gets it to the Comescus. We rent a van, and then I give Callen the address to the house. It was raining outside. When we get to the house, everybody gets out and follows me up to the house. Sam tried the door, but it was locked.

"How are we supposed to get in?" Sam asked.

I pulled a card from my pocket, and then waved it front of the door. The door slid back, and then I entered. Sam, Callen and Kensi were hot on my tail. I showed them were to get weapons. When everybody was satisfied, I hid the weapons, but Callen made a decision to sleep here tonight.

Come morning, I woke to get a layoff the land. It was still raining, and it rained the entire we were in Prague. When I came back Sam was awake, and cleaning the gun he chose. I didn't comment on this because it had been a while since any of the guns had been used. We laid low until night fall. When the sun had set, we loaded up into the van and left. It started to rain as we were making our way. We pulled up out in front of the house, and Sam shut the engine off. Callen went to get the lay of the land. When Callen came back he said that there were two doors: the front door, and a door in the alley. When Callen came back Sam started cleaning his gun again.

"You gonna keep doing that?" I asked.

"No offense to Hetty, but when was the last time these guns were used and clean." Sam said.

"You cleaned it this morning." Kensi said.

"This is the second time." I said

"This ammo has been sitting in the box for who knows how long. It could jam." Sam said.

"You didn't have to come, you know?" Callen said.

"Yet here we are." Sam said.

The partner's shared a look. "Okay, let's do this. This time, leave at least one of them alive, will you?" Callen asked.

"Then don't make me have to save your sorry ass again." Sam said.

Callen didn't have a comeback for that. All he did was look out the window, and then look back at Kensi. Even though she had a slight grin on her face, Kensi nodded her head. The four of us exited the van, and then made our way over to the house. We prepared ourselves at the front door: Sam and Callen on the right while Kensi and I were on the left. Sam kicked the door down and entered first, followed by Callen. I entered after Callen with Kensi bringing up the rear. All that could be heard for about five minutes was gun fire, and lots of it, and screaming. Sam killed the last man, his body had crashed through the door leading into the alley.

Sam and Callen converged in the kitchen to see a spring-loaded contraption that was a perfect fit for Hetty. "Clear!" I called out entering the main hall.

"Clear." Kensi said, coming up behind me.

We heard a sound coming from the closet behind me. "Here." I said, pointing the closet, training my gun on it. I covered Kensi, and who was waiting for Sam and Callen to get into position. When Kensi opened the door, we saw frightened woman on her crouching, covering her head with her arms. Callen put his gun away, and then pulled the woman out of the closet. Callen started speaking to the woman in Czech. "It's okay. We won't hurt you. The lady who was here where did they take here?"

"They took her this afternoon." she said.

"Where?" Callen asked.

"A house on the beach." she said.

"You saw this house?" Callen asked.

"Yes. It's on the Black Sea. Romania." she said.

"Hetty's alive." Callen said.

"Where?" Sam asked.

"A house on the Black Sea in Romania." I said.

"How do you know that?" Kensi asked.

"He's a Phantom agent." Callen said.

"That, and Lara told yesterday before Hetty left." I said.

"Lara?" Sam asked.

"Lauren Hunter." Callen said.

"Anything else you want to tell us about Special Agent Lauren "Lara" Hunter?" Sam asked.

"How about we save that explanation for another time? We're here to rescue Hetty." I reminded the group.

"Move out." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Nell was digging through Hetty's personnel file looking for anything that could help bring Hetty home faster. When Nell brought the original file for Hetty she noticed something odd. She saw a note under the heading for distinguishing features. And then she found a paper trail that Hetty made involving a court document. Neither the action nor the notation made any sense, and Nell wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. Nell continued to dig, and she would wait to bring it up the next time Director Vance came looking for an update.

N.C.I.S L.A.

The house on the Black Sea, Romania-

It was dinner time at the house on the Black Sea. A few minutes later, the door opened and Hetty stepped in. "My apologies… for intruding. I have a message for the head of the Comescu family." Hetty said.

The family just stared at Hetty. Most are wondering what this interloper is doing at their house. Others have a look of disdain for Hetty. A few seconds later, a woman who was standing next to the kitchen walks forward and begins to speak. "I am the head of the Comescu family. My name is Alexa Comescu." the woman said.

"And I'm—" Hetty began but Alexa cut her off.

"Gloria Edwards, according to your passport. Your real name is Henrietta Lange. You prefer Hetty. But I doubt even that is your real name. Now, tell me, Henrietta, what message could be of such importance that you are willing to die to deliver it?" Alexa asked.

There was a moment of silence before Hetty spoke. "For many years now, you have been looking for a man. The last of his family. His name—" Hetty was again cut off by Alexa.

"I know his name." Alexa said.

Hetty remained quiet for a moment, and then produced a package. Alexa nodded to the man standing next to Hetty. Hetty swung her arm to the man standing next to her, and the man took the package from her. The man walked around the table to Alexa, and handing the package to her. Alexa opened the package, and pulled out a thumb drive. Alexa handed it to a man that Hetty guessed to be her husband, and said in Romany. "Play it."

Alexa and her husband got up from the table and head over to the computer. Hetty slowly made her way over to the computer. The thumb drive had only one file. When the filed was played, it was of the assassination attempt that Callen survived last year.

"What is this?" Alexa asked Hetty, after she pulled a piece of paper that had been folded.

"Proof." Hetty said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

"Working late, Miss Jones?" Director Vance asked.

Nell was hesitated to tell Director Vance at first, but she went for it. "Oh, uh, yeah, I was—" Nell began.

"Lange, Henrietta." Vance said.

"Well, I found something odd. Two things actually. A week before Hetty left. She put in a document request and it after arrived, she erased the paper trail." she said.

"Well, obviously, she didn't erase all of it. What was the document?" he asked.

"Callen's death certificate." she said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Comescu house-

Alexa was looking at a death certificate for G. Callen.

"He died three weeks ago. They are all dead, Alexa." Hetty said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

It took Director Vance a few second to wrap his head around Hetty getting a real death certificate made for a person who was still alive and well. And then he remember Nell had found two things. "What was the second thing?" he asked.

"Well, I saw this. I, uh, I know I wasn't supposed to, but its Hetty's personnel file." Nell said.

"Additional distinguishing features." he said.

"I know. It says she has a—" she began.

Director Vance laid a hand on her shoulder, and said in a stern voice. "You tell no one. Do you understand, Miss Jones?"

"Understood." Nell said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Comescu house-

"And why should I trust you?" Alexa asked Hetty.

Hetty slowly removes her arm from her jacket sleeve, and then pulls the sleeve of her shirt up to reveal a tattoo of a Romany wheel on her arm. Then Hetty answered in Romany. "Because we are family."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Ten minutes earlier-

Sam parked the car on the street a good distance away from the house. Sam shut the engine off, and we get out to discuss our options. "Two stories. High fence." Kensi said.

Callen looked out towards the Black Sea and saw a kite. There was nothing special about this kite, but it was vaguely familiar. Callen walked away from the group as Sam began speaking. "Well, the gate will be guarded, even if you can't see them. Approaching the beach is probably covered a well."

"They'd see us coming a mile away." I said.

"Well, then it has to be from the road. Main entrance, we drive up, talk our way in." Kensi said.

"Maybe a diversion from the beach. Something to get them looking out. Then we can come in tactical from the road, Hit them hard and fast." Sam said.

Kensi and Sam ignored the fact that Callen had walked away. I saw the whole thing play out. I knew what was going to happen because I've seen it so many times before. Callen was having a flashback, while Sam and Kensi were more concerned with my history with Lara.

"Why do you call Lauren Hunter _Lara?_ " Kensi asked.

"Is this really important?" I asked. I was looking at Callen, plus from any outliers in the crowd.

"Answer the question." Sam said.

"Okay fine. I met Lara after I had been in working for Hetty a few months. Actually I meet Jo before I met Lara." I said.

"Jo?" Sam asked.

"He means Nell." Kensi said, and then Sam was back on track.

"I met Jo after leaving the docks in London. She took me to a carriage that Lara was waiting for me. I call Hunter Lara because her given name is Laurette Renard." I said.

"Lara for short." Kensi said.

"I spent thousands of years in her service. Every so often, I've seen doppelgangers of people I've seen today." I said.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"I've seen you a few times." I said to Sam. "The last time I saw you, you were a police chief in London, England in the eighteen nineties."

"Anyone else from the agency?" Sam asked.

"I've seen the three of you." I said.

"How many times have you seen Callen?" Kensi asked.

"I've only seen him once, and I had to kill him because he was a murderer." I said.

"Besides The Sparrow, how many times have you seen Kensi?" Sam asked.

"Two other times." I said.

"Callen said that Hunter owes you one. Something about your time in Spain, or something involving the Spanish." Sam said.

"Hetty had station the two of us in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. Just mere days before the whole thing was supposed to end, Lara was taken prisoner. I freed Lara, and then we tried to escape. Only Lara got away, and I was taken prisoner. I took her place at the stake." I said.

"What do you mean that you took her place at the stake?" Kensi asked.

"Deeks was burned at the stake instead of Lara." Sam said.

"Oh. Oh." Kensi said.

"Ok, if you're done playing twenty question, I suggest we get the team back together." I said.

At this moment Sam had noticed that Callen had walked away. "G." Sam said.

Callen didn't answer. Sam had walked over to Callen to see what the problem was. "G." Sam said.

Sam knelt down next to Callen, as Kensi and I approached the partners slowly. "G?" Sam asked.


	34. Lange, H Part I

Hetty and Alexa found themselves sitting at the table in full-size pantry staring at each other. On the table in front of the women were two glasses. They had been sitting motionlessly for quite a while, but the sound of gunfire cause Alexa to move first. Alexa moved her head in the direction of the door, then her eyes moved from left to right a couple of times as she contemplated her next move.

"They're coming." Hetty said in English.

They heard more gunfire, and then Alexa reached for the glass in front of her, emptying the contents of the glass into her mouth. Alexa placed the glass on the table, and then lower her hand back to her side. The next thing to happen was a gun had been fired, and Hetty grunted when the bullet penetrated her body. Hetty touched her abdomen, and then raised her hand to see it covered in blood. Hetty looked at Alexa like she was mad. All Alexa did was place the still smoking gun on the table, and whisper in English. "Let them come."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Fifty-three minutes earlier-

Hetty was shown to a full-size pantry, and told to wait here. Hetty made her way into the pantry, but stopped in front of a set of shelves that had jars of jam made with real fruit. Hetty had reached for jar, and brought it closer, admiring Alexa's handy work. Alexa opened the door quietly and entered, but the creaking floor had alerted Hetty to her not being alone. Hetty decided to put the jar back on the shelf.

"The best fruit. Handpicked." Alexa said.

"Dulceata" Hetty said in Romanian.

"I learned this from my mother. She learned it from her mother. And her mother from hers. And so on." Alexa said as she walked towards Hetty.

Hetty was silent for a moment as she thought about her words. "A family tradition, then, preservation." Hetty said.

"Somethings are more important to protect than others." Alexa said.

"Yes, they are." Hetty said. There was a moment of silence before Hetty asked. "This feud. How long has it been going on?"

"Since the war." Alexa whispered.

Hetty knew exactly which war Alexa was talking about. "Now it's over." Hetty said.

"Is it?" Alexa whispered.

Silence was the only thing that could be heard after Alexa asked her question.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The beach outside the Comescu house-

Sam was standing next to Callen, who was trying to making sense of the flashbacks he was having. Kensi and I stood back a good ways back to give the partners their space. Kensi was standing a good inch away from me.

"I need to know you're going to be okay." Sam said. Callen looked up at Sam like her was an alien from another planet. To which Sam repeated his last sentence. "I said, I need to know you're going to be okay."

"Yeah. I'm all right." Callen said, still in complete denial that he was standing on the same beach he had grown up on.

"Because if you're not going to be okay, and you're going to lose it when you're supposed to be watching my back, I'd like to know." Sam said

Kensi and I kept to ourselves, but the close proximity of Kensi is making me a little uncomfortable. I look up in the sky as I contemplate my next thought. _Am I uncomfortable that Kensi is standing so close to me, or am I comfortable because a "Kensi" is standing next to me and I can't let my guard down?_

"That's the Black Sea." Callen said.

Sam was a little disturbed by what Callen just said, but he rolled with it anyways. "Yes, it is." Sam said.

"I always assumed it was the Pacific." Callen said.

Kensi arm was barely touching mine. When Kensi realized that her arm was touching mine, she looked up at me and then turned to face Callen and Sam. Though our arms aren't touching anymore, Kensi is still in close proximity to me. As I was contemplated what just happened, Sam asked. "You do know where we are?"

"Romania." Callen said.

"We need to get off the streets, figure out a plan." Sam said.

"Couple blocks back, there are some workshops, old warehouses. Auto trade mostly." Callen said.

"Preferably an alleyway, in case we need to get out fast." Sam said.

"Workshop, warehouses, and alleys. Got it." I said.

Sam waited for us to leave before asking. "How do you know this place?"

"I was born here." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Eric was in ops looking for a lead on the team, or Hetty's location, but was distracted when Nell brought something to drink and a brown paper bag.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Eric asked.

"Coffee, black. Sugar, brown. Brewed, not stewed, and Oreos. If you want them." Nell said as she placed the drink on the desk.

"No food or beverages in Ops." he said, trying to hold strong to the rules that Hetty had laid out.

"Who says?" she asked innocently.

Eric thought about Nell's question for half a second. "It doesn't seem right." Eric said.

Nell was in the mood to see if Eric would break the rules, like her boyfriend in London used to do when he was alive. "She's not here, Eric." Nell said with a wicked smile.

"No, she's not." he said.

"She resigned." she said.

"Yes, she did." he said.

"She's somewhere in Eastern Europe." she said.

"Most likely." he said.

"She has zero control over what you do, what you say, or what rules you choose to break." she said, placing the Oreos at her station and walking to look at the big screen.

Eric resolve was waning. Nell Saw Eric eyeing those Oreos. "And yet…" Eric began, but his sentence hung unsaid in the air. Eric grabbed the mug, and brought it his lips. Nell could hear Eric taking a sip, followed by him asking. "Did you say Oreos?"

Nell smiled to herself, but she was extremely happy that Eric was loosening up. "No credit card usage. No hotels booked under alias. No contact. Nothing since that taxi drooped Hetty off at the address in Prague." she said.

"It's owned by a Comescu-family company. Let's see. It's a residential area. Probably a safe house, or maybe a courier drop. But nothing that makes it stand out." he said. The computer beeped with a message. Eric saw that it was a police report at the address in question. "Whoa." he said.

"What?" Nell asked, walking back over to Eric.

"It's a wire report out of Prague. There was a shooting at that address overnight. It's being reported as a gangland war." Eric said, glancing over the report.

While Eric and Nell were reading the report on the computer, Director Vance entered the room. "Five dead. All of them Romanian. One was Comescu. I just got off the phone with Interpol. Said it was more like a military black op than a gangland shootout." Director Vance said.

"When?" Nell asked.

"Just after ten, local time." Vance said.

"Six hours after Callen and the others landed in Prague." Eric said.

Director Vance approached his tech analyst and engineer with a straight face. A face that both of them could tell that director was about to tell them something serious. "Officially, we only have one agent in that part of the world" Vance said.

"Of course, director, and that's obviously what you came to tell us." Nell said.

Director Vance smirked at Nell reading between the lines, and then turned to leave.

"Director?" Nell said. Vance turn back to face Nell, though he didn't try to hide his surprise that Nell would continue a conversation that was already deemed finished. "That one agent, would that be Agent Hunter?" Nell asked.

"Agent Hunter is making inquiries about a former employee." Vance said.

"Which would be Hetty." Nell said.

"Miss Lange, yes." Vance said.

"Hmm. Uh… Any news from Agent Hunter?" Nell asked.

Director Vance didn't say a word. He looked over at Eric, and then back at Nell. "If you find anything, let me know." Vance said, and then left ops.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Old Romanian workshop-

Callen opened the door to an old workshop, and was the first to enter, followed me, Kensi and Sam.

"So. Uh, judging by the dust, I think we got a good thirty years before anybody comes back." I said, as Sam was shutting the door. It was an old auto shop. Callen continued walking towards the middle of the shop as I looked at my surroundings: cars with thick layer of dust that will never get fixed, and returned to their owners. _It's anybody's guess if the owners are still among the living._ I thought, and I felt sad for a moment because of the people I've said good-bye to, and not knowing if they're alive or if they have left this world.

"We gotta find out what we're up against. The Comescus probably heard about the shooting in Prague, but we got here fast. They'll be expecting us, but not yet." Sam said.

"They're expecting us. When we landing in Europe, but before catching our flight to Prague, the four of us were in plain view of the security camera." I said.

"Well, what if Hetty's already gone? What if they've already moved her from the beach house?" Kensi asked. I could hear something in her vocal inflection that I've heard in Kenzie, and that was usually when she was irritated.

"She's here. They haven't moved her." Callen said.

"You wanna share?" I asked. Not that it really matter if Hetty was here or not. I'm here to kill Comescu, and protect Kensi.

"This is where they live. It's where the fell safe." Callen said.

Sam went over to the table and pulled a camera out of his bag. He handed the camera to Kensi as he said. "Go play tourist. Count heads, map out the perimeter. Back in thirty."

"You got it." Kensi said. I took my coat off, and then we head back to the beach. Sam waited for us to leave before saying. "You got thirty minutes."

"To do what?" Callen asked.

"To tell me what just happened on the beach." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Comescu house-

"So you are familia. Roma. Gypsy." Alexa said, as she was chopping carrots.

"I was born after the war in a refugee camp in Bucharest." Hetty lied.

"And your parents?" Alexa asked.

"Two years in a German death camp. My father died two months after. My mother, two days after. A family in the camp raised me. They were also Roma." Hetty said.

"And what was the family's name?" Alexa asked

"Pavlenco." Hetty said.

Alexa stopped chopping the carrots momentarily, and then said. "You lie."

"I most certainly don not lie, Alexa." Hetty said, not realizing that Alexa had pertinent details.

Alexa continued chopping the carrots, and then she put the knife down. As she was walking over to her, Hetty could see Alexa pulled a piece of paper from her apron. From what Hetty could see that there were four in total. "Taken two days ago at Paris airport." Alexa showed pictures of the three agents, and she called Hetty a liar all the while. Hetty was kind of confused. Alexa hadn't shown a picture of me yet, but that was because she had a speech prepared for me when she dropped my picture. "I noticed your confusion when I only showed you the three pictures." Alexa said.

"Yes." Hetty said.

"Well that's because the fourth." Alexa said, dropping my picture in front of Hetty. "Well he has been particularly a thorn in my side. Though I have been very grateful when he disappeared seven years ago."

Neither Hetty nor I realized that my dealings back in the C.I.A. had put me on Alexa's radar. "I have no idea who this man is." Hetty said.

"He had a nick name given to him by his enemies. Some of who I, or my family, have done business with. They called him the Phantom, and he was very good at what he did." Alexa said.

Hetty was silent for a moment. Of course she knew who I was, and that I was called the Phantom, but Hetty didn't realize that she had compounded the issue when Callen brought me along.

"You killed two of our people in Prague. And these killed five more. One of them a nephew." Alexa said.

"And you make soup." Hetty said, looking up at Alexa.

Alexa and Hetty stared at each other for a moment, and then Alexa returned to chopping carrots. "These agents, they come for me?" Alexa asked.

"No, me." Hetty said.

Alexa stopped chopping for half a second, and then asked. "To kill you?"

"No, to save me." Hetty said.

Alexa was silent for a moment. "You tried to save this one by bringing me evidence he is dead." Alexa said, pointing her knife at Callen's picture.

"Call it a final attempt to end the bloodshed between his family and yours." Hetty said.

"I'm sure you knew it must fail, which leaves me to wonder, Henrietta Lange, why, exactly, did you come?" Alexa asked.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Eric and Nell were discussing possible options why Hetty went to Romania Eric blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "She went to protect Callen." Eric was twirling an Oreo around in his fingers, and then took a bite.

"Callen's perfecting capable of protecting himself." Nell said finishing the Oreo that she already had as she rounded the console to stand next to Eric, and then grabbed another cookie.

"And then some." he said.

"Mm. So why did she go?" she asked.

"Director Vance said it was a thin file. Maybe there wasn't enough evidence to make a case." he said.

"Hmm. She must've known that Callen would've come after her." she said, taking a bite of her Oreo.

"Wherever Callen goes, Sam goes, and Kensi." he said.

"And Deeks." she said after a brief pause.

"What if she couldn't get approval to run the operation, so instead she puts herself out there, knows they'll all come to back her up?" he said.

"Kind of a desperate play." she said.

"What if she had no choice? They were about to come after Callen. Offense is the best defense." he said.

"Hmm." she said. Something Eric said a few moments ago grabbed her attention. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"Offense is the best defense?" he said.

"No, no, before that. You said it was a thin file." she said.

"I didn't say that, Director Vance did. I heard him telling Callen." he said.

"The file Hetty erased was a big file. Twenty megabytes, at least. Hundreds of pages." she said.

"Maybe it was all for show, so we'd stop looking?" he said.

"Two files. A fat file for show and a thin file. And if she only erased one…" Nell trailed off.

"Then the real Comescu file's still in there." Eric said.

There was a pause after Eric finished speaking, and then pair looked at the computer realizing what they had to do. Nell put the rest of her half eaten in her mouth, as they rushed over to the computers to look for the file.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Romanian workshop-

Sam and Callen had been cleaning their guns for a while after we left the workshop, and Callen hasn't given Sam any answers.

"You gonna tell me what spooked you?" Sam asked?

"You said I had thirty minutes, it's only been seven." Callen said.

"How long is it gonna take you to tell me?" Sam asked.

"About a minute." Callen said.

"Then you got twenty-two minutes." Sam said.

"Good." Callen said. There was a moment of silence. At the end of that silence Callen realized that Sam was cleaning his gun again. "That's the third time you stripped that pistol. You'll wear it out." Callen said loading his gun.

"Yeah, just load your ammo. Okay?" Sam said.

Callen realized that it was time that he had to level with Sam. It's not that he was holding out on Sam, hardly, but he had to come to terms with the fact that he isn't American by birth. And that he was currently standing in the town where he was born and raised for a few years of his childhood. Callen took a seat at the table and then began to speak.

"Those memories I told you about the guy giving me the toy soldier. I always assumed that's where it took place, some local beach with kids playing. I was making sand castles." Callen had a flashback to that day on the beach with the children playing, and his younger self was building a sand castle. "This is where I'm from, Sam."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked.

"I remembered… a woman. My mother. They shot her." Callen said, his sentence was riddled with pauses.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Comescu house-

Alexa had grabbed a few more carrots to for the soup she was making while Hetty was in deep in thought. Hetty thought that it was time to get to the bottom of "If you tell me how this all started…" Hetty paused briefly. Alexa stopped chopping the carrots, and looked Hetty in the eyes. Then Hetty continued saying. "I'll tell you why I came."

"In the war, my grandfather did what he had to do to keep his family safe. Safe from the death camps. Late in the war, there was a coup. The power shifted. From being someone the government could rely on, my grandfather became someone to be despised. There was an American. OSS. You know of the OSS?" Alexa asked.

"Now the CIA." Hetty said.

"This American hunted down my grandfather and killed him, along with two of his brothers. This OSS agent was Callen's grandfather." Alexa said.

There was a moment of silence before Hetty asked. "And the Comescu family responded in kind?" Hetty asked.

"It took two years to find him. He had married a Roma girl, they had a child. My father was the one to find him. The mother and child, a daughter, escaped to America." Alexa said.

"But it didn't end there." Hetty said.

"Twenty-five years later, the daughter came back. She had changed her name. She had two children." Alexa said.

"A girl and a boy." Hetty said.

"My father swore on his father's grave to end their bloodline. She died not far from here on a beach while her son played." Alexa said.

"He won't go easily." Hetty said, after a brief pause.

"No, he won't. It is in his blood." Alexa said, and then thrust the blade of the knife into the cutting board. "Why did you come?"

"To make amends." Hetty said, after a brief pause.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Beach outside the Comescu house-

Kensi and I had been at the beach for a while. We had decided on how we would do this, but then I decided we should just start taking pictures. I was taking pictures while Kensi was backing away from me. "Big smile. This one's going to be for the album." I said.

"What album is this?" she asked

I lowered the camera, and thought about the album. "Honeymoon? Yeah?" I said.

"Honeymoon? We are on honeymoon in Romania?" she asks.

"Romantic Romania. Look at this place, it's perfect." I said.

"Yeah? Well, I don't see a ring on this finger, lover-boy." she said.

"Well, that's because you darling, left it at the hotel when we went swimming." I said.

"Swimming? And our swimsuits are?" she asked.

"Optional. Our swimsuits are optional." I said.

"Ha, ha." she laughed at the thought of ever getting naked in front of me.

"Actually, you know what? There's a swimsuit optional beach right up there, and, yep, the batteries are fully charged. We could do this." I said not even bothering to keep the devilish grin off of my face.

"Yeah, well, I'm really sorry. Not today, little brother." she said.

"Little brother, are you kidding me? Why is it always the brother-sister thing with you?" I asked, the grin still on my face.

"Well, we're on a family vacation, so keep snapping." she said.

"All right." I said, following the instructions I was given.

Kensi continued to back when she saw two men leaving the house. "Two guys, leaving the house." she said. I took to pictures of the men.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Eric and Nell had poured over every file on the N.C.I.S. database. "Well, it hasn't been partitioned on the main drive." Nell said.

"Nothing on the user or new file logs." Eric said.

"It's not here." she said.

"It gotta to be here. It can't be anywhere else." he said.

"Okay, so if you were Hetty, where would you hide a file on a server that you didn't want anyone else to find?" she said.

"In plain sight." he said. The pair was just thinking about the odds of Hetty leaving the file out in plain sight, and they looked at each other not willing to believe the possibility of what they were about to try. "She wouldn't, would she?" he asked.

Nell gave Eric a look said that _Only one way to find out_ , and Eric typed in the Comescu file. And to their disbelief, Hetty left the file in plain sight, just as Eric said. "Heh. She made a simple copy and parked it. The Comescu file has been here all along." he said. When Eric went to access the file, a login screen appeared. "What now?"

"Zulu-November-Tango-one-one-seven-nine, the director's access code." she said, recalling Director Vance's skeleton key passcode.

Eric stopped in the middle of typing the passcode in. "We could get fired." he said.

"Your computer." she countered, pointing out the fact that only Eric would get fired. Nell gave Eric a _What are you going to do about it?_ Look. To which Eric stared at his computer, and then hit the enter key. When file opened, about seven different windows appeared on the screen. A couple were pictures, the rest were reports, and wanted files from Interpol.

"Hmm. Looks like someone got access to the Comescu family album." she said leaning to get a better look.

"The captions are translated: _Vasile with Dracul and Ilena on his birthday, nineteen eighty-seven. Ilena with Auntie Alexa at the beach house. Dracul, Vasile, Ion, Alexa, and Ilena at Uncle Petru's house, January 2011_." he said.

"Look at Ilena's face. It's completely out of focus." she said.

Eric was taken back by Ilena's face being blurred out, but he kept going. " _Ilena's welcome home party, two thousand and nine._ " he said.

"Can you unblur them?" she asked.

"Maybe." He said.

"Why would the Comescus blur her face?" she asked.

Eric put the photo through a program to refocus the face of Ilena. "The blurring was done after it was downloaded onto our server. The Comescus didn't do it. We did." Eric said.

A few seconds later. Ilena's face was back in focus, but Eric and Nell had a hard time swallowing. "That can't be." Nell said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Beach outside Comescu's house.

I was taking a couple more photos of the two men by the curb when luxury car pulled up to the curb by the two men. "Here they come." I said. I prepare to take a picture of the guest, but all I get is a shot of her back. "Female visitor. That's a warm welcome, a little kissy-kissy. They obviously met before"

I took a few more picture, and then stopped. I lowered the camera when the two men and the woman started walking towards me. I almost jumped out of my skin when I realized who the woman was. "What? Who is it?" Kensi asked.

I didn't even bother to answer because I know Callen and Sam wouldn't believe us. I took four more pictures before saying. "It's Hunter."

"What?" she asked.

I opened the storage on the camera, and showed Kensi the photo. When she saw that it was Hunter, she just took off running.

"What should I do?" I asked.

"You stay here, and keep an eye on the house!" Kensi shouted over her should without breaking her stride

"Okay." I said, as I spotted a gelato cart.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Old workshop

When Kensi entered the shop, all she did was point at the camera. Sam and Callen didn't say anything. They just looked at the photos that she showed them. When they saw the person in the photo, they realized why she didn't say anything: It was Hunter in the photo.

"Vance must have sent her." Sam said.

"But how did she know where to find them?" Kensi asked.

Sam didn't have an answer at first, but he only had one though "She's gotta be undercover. Maybe it's not her first time at the beach house." Sam saw Callen get a look in his eyes that said that he was contemplating what to do with Hunter. Callen walked away from the brainstorming session to have his own brainstorming session.

"Yeah, they've clearly met before." Kensi said.

"She's undercover. She targets him, picks him up at a bar or the gym, starts dating him. Gets invited home to meet the family." Sam said.

"Well, that's what I'd do. What do we do?" Kensi asked.

"Having her in the house changes the plan." Sam said.

"We have a plan?" Kensi asked attempting to stifle a chuckle.

"Yeah. Kill them all." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Director Vance was at Hetty's desk. He picked up one of wayward agent's badge, thought about what his next move is, and then placed in the drawer next to the three other badges. Vance shut the drawer, and then brought up the phone directory of all the agents around the globe. He typed in the letters—Hun—and then a picture of Laruen Hunter came up. The director called Hunter's cell phone, but Hunter didn't answer. Vance was getting a disturbed by the fact that Hunter hasn't called to him with an update. Up in Ops, Eric and Nell were reaching for the last Oreo, but Eric decided to let Nell have it. Nell split the Oreo, so they both could share. Nell stared longingly at Eric for a moment, but then remembered their dilemma.

"We're gonna have to tell the director." Nell said.

"What? That we illegally used his password to access an eyes-only file?" Eric asked.

"He must know what's in the file." she said.

"I wouldn't be so sure. I mean, Hetty had the file. Maybe she had more. Maybe she only showed him what she needed him to know." he said, and then took a bite of the cookie.

"What, like a plausible deniability kind of thing?" she asked, as she eat the frosting first.

"More like a "Hetty trying to save her butt" kind of thing." he said.

"Okay, Eric, Hetty doesn't work here anymore. Director Vance is our boss now." she said. At that moment, Director Vance entered Ops. "And always has been. Director." Nell said, hiding the cookie as she stood up from her workstation.

"I thought Hetty had a rule about eating in Ops, Eric." Vance said.

"Um, she does." Eric said, standing up from his chair.

"She did." Nell said, and then finished her cookie.

Eric looked at Nell momentarily. Director Vance gave them both a look, and then asked. "Do you have anything to report?"

"Nothing." Eric said.

"That can't wait." Nell said.

Vance again gave a quick look, and then grinned at the pair. "I need you to locate an active GPS device." Vance said handing a piece of paper to Eric.

"Who are tracking?" Nell asked. Eric sat down, and put the rest of his cookie in his mouth.

"Agent Hunter." Vance said.

Eric faked a cough when he remembered that Hunter has possible family ties Comescu. "Excellent." Nell said, standing right behind Eric when she spoke.

On the big screen a picture of Europe appeared. "Backing GPS. Overlaying pictometry. All right, she's at a beach house on the Black Sea. Or at least her GPS tracker is." Eric said.

"Who owns this beach house, Eric?" Vance asked.

"Um…" Eric said, as he looked up the logistics for the house. "Property is owned by a company registered in the Cayman Islands. CF&Q Limited. Three listed Directors: Alexa Comescu, Vasile Comescu, and Dracul Comescu. How do you say Bingo in Romanian?" Eric asked.

"Bingo." Both Nell and Vance said.

"In the camp of the enemy." Vance said.

"How did she know to go there?" Nell asked.

"That's a very good question, Miss Jones. Almost as good why hasn't she called?" Director Vance said.


	35. Lange, H Part II

Old workshop-

It was a good twenty minutes before Kensi called with an update. When Kensi finally calls, I waited for her to give the instructions from Callen, and they weren't very promising.

"Those were Callen's instructions." Kensi said.

" _So that's the plan? Just kill them all?_ " I asked, after taking a bite from my gelato.

"Yep." she said.

" _Mm-hm. Has anyone figured out exactly how we're going to do that?_ " I asked.

"Heh. No, not yet." she said.

" _Right, okay. Well, listen, I'm on my third gelato here, and I'm beginning to wonder if my new wife has up and dumped me, by—_ " Kensi cut me off.

"I think you mean sister." she interrupted.

" _Okay, fine. My sister._ " I said, going along.

"Thank you." she said.

" _And I was—Hold on_." I said.

"What's happening? Deeks? Hello?" Kensi asked.

There was a moment of silence before I said. " _Okay, I'm starting to feel exposed here. I think I'm gonna move. I'll uh, call you back._ "

"Deeks good?" Sam asked, looking up from the laptop in front of Callen.

"Yeah. Uh, moving position." Kensi said, after a moments pause and closed the lid of the phone.

Callen was going through the photo's I took earlier. "You see any electronic security. Cameras? Sensors?" Sam asked

"Just lots of guards. A dozen on the grounds, at least, probably more inside." Kensi said.

"Gonna have to draw them out." Callen said.

"Need a diversion." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Outside the Comescu house-

The man who walked Hunter into the house had grabbed the two guards that were standing out on the sidewalk, and started walking in my direction. They were staring right at me.

 _Yep. That camera gave us away_. I thought. "Oh joy" I said. I rotated my hips over the low wall I had been leaning against, threw my gelato away, and then took off running. I looked in the direction of the three men as I was running away, and they started to chase after me. I turned to see a car was about to hit me, but they stopped and honked their horn at me. I made my way into the alleyways leading back to our hideout with relative ease. As I rounded one corner I slowed down because one of the men was waiting for me. He threw a punch, which I easily blocked, and I countered with a knee to the belly.

I turned to see the man get back up. "Really? Unh." I said, punching the man in his jaw.

I heard someone call out to the man who I just attacked. I turn to see his two buddies rounding the far end of the alley. "Aah. Aah! I hate Romania." I said, as I turn and started running again.

In the hideout, Kensi was explaining the layout of the beach house. "There were stairs up from the beach here, but all the beach approaches are guarded so—"

Kensi, Sam and Callen heard a loud crash from the door, and turned to see me come rushing in. "I got three prisoners."

"Where?" Sam asked.

"Right behind me." I said.

And sure enough the three men who were chasing me come busting into the building.

"Who are you?" Callen asked in Romanian.

The man who had lead Hunter into the house recognized Callen, Sam and Kensi. "Can we help you?" Callen asked.

"Yes. I think you can." the man answered back in Romanian.

I ducked out of the as the guns were coming out. The gun fight was over as quick as it started. I neutralized the only dude not be killed outright. "Okay, make that one prisoner, and two dead guys. Over!" I shouted the command. Callen approached the prisoner and spoke to him in Romanian.

There was a moment of silence before Kensi said. "You got made."

"I didn't get made." I said testily.

"You definitely got made." Sam said sternly.

"Not because of anything that I did." I said. I found the man's wallet, and tossed it to Callen.

"Hmm, one gelato too many." Kensi said, still trying to pin this on me.

Callen opened the walled and read the name on the ID. "Dracul Nicole Comescu."

I missed Sam and Callen sharing a look, but I found my proof to shut Kensi up. "Whew, well, I definitely didn't 8get made. They knew who to look for." I said showing the team a piece of paper with all of our photos on it. "I told you we got spot when we landed in Europe. It seems that somebody knew we were coming." I share a look with Callen, and then looked over at Sam. Both Callen and Sam shared a look.

I pulled Dracul off the floor and put him in a chair, and gave him basic first aid. I walked back over to the group as Sam had finish going over our options, "That narrows down our options." I said.

Callen and Dracul were having a staring contest. "We get within a hundred feet of that place, we're compromised. And we still don't know if Hetty's even there." Kensi said.

"Think they got a chance to call it in?" Sam asked me.

"I didn't wait around to find out. As soon as I got spotted, I took off. They were snapping at my heels, so maybe not." I said. I didn't miss the look on Kensi face that read that she didn't agree with my assertion, but let it slide.

"We need to move before they miss these guys." Sam said.

"What about Hunter? There's no photo of her." I said, making light of the fact that the Comescus were only looking for the four of us.

Sam let out a sigh of frustration. "Gotta assume her cover's still intact." Sam said.

Callen walked over to Dracul, with the camera in his hand, to ask a few questions.

"What cover might that be?" Kensi asked.

Sam got up from the table, and followed Callen over to Dracul. "Who is she?" Callen asked, showing Dracul the picture of Hunter. Dracul looked at the photo when Sam approached, but kept his mouth shut.

"That's a good-looking woman, Sam. You think she's his girlfriend?" Callen asked.

 _Wait! What?_ I thought.

"A woman like that wants a man with power and money. You got power and money, Dracul?" Sam asked. Dracul kept silent. "Didn't think so. He's just tenth-rate muscle, twenty times removed from the head of the family." Sam said.

Dracul smirked at Sam's remark. "How about this one, what's her name?" Callen asked, showing Dracul a picture of Hetty.

"Why don't you knock on the door and ask her yourself?" Dracul asked smugly, in English.

"Right answer" Sam said.

"We just might do that." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Comescu house-

Alexa and Hetty had been silent for over thirty minutes. Alexa was now grinding vegetables for the soup, while Hetty had picked something up and sniffed it. It smelled familiar, but couldn't make out the smell. "What do you know of the boy on the beach?" Hetty asked randomly.

"His time should have ended with his mother. This was a mistake. Instead, he grew into a man." Alexa said.

"You know a lot about him, then." Hetty said.

"More than you. More than he knows about himself. Who he is. From where he comes." Alexa said.

"He was given his grandfather's name, Callen" Hetty said.

"Yes." Alexa said.

"What about his first name? You know what it is?" Hetty asked.

Alexa stopped grinding, leaned in closer to Hetty and nodded. "What is this thing you did that was so bad that you must come to my house and die to make your amends?" Alexa asked.

"It's not what I did. It's what I didn't do. What I couldn't do. Save her. Save his mother." Hetty said, after a moment's hesitation. Alexa was taken back by this admission.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

"And we are on stream." Vance said.

"Ready to track Hunter's cell phone." Eric said.

"Colonel, thank you for making this happen. Yes, you too." Vance said, and then disconnected the call.

"Low orbit, oblique angles, so coverage could be a little scratchy." Eric said.

"What's our window, Eric?" Vance asked.

"We tasked a small target area, only two square miles, so our window is less than fifteen seconds starting in ten." Eric said.

"Big screen, Eric." Vance said.

Director Vance, Eric and Nell turned to look at the big screen. "And we are capturing data." Eric said. On the big screen the small part of Romanian changed, then a bunch a yellow dots started to fill the screen. "Every pinpoint of light is an active GPS cell phone."

"Romanians love their cell phones." Nell said.

"Data capture terminating in three, two, one. And the show's over. We got it, I hope. Just need to overlay our satellite imagery and we are good to snoop." Eric said, ending the transmission.

Eric put the picture up on the screen in front of their station. "Okay let's see." Nell said, looking for Hunter's number. "Agent Hunter's cell phone. Now for the fun part. Let's start with all calls over the last twenty-four hours and check for call backs." It took Nell a few moments to find a hit. "And we have a winner. Three calls to the same number. Looks like the cell phone is registered to the same Comescu-family company that owns the beach house."

"Local search, Eric." Vance said.

Eric typed in the command to find the phone in the city. And the search was completed in record time. "Got it. The cell phone's just a couple of blocks from Hunters current location. Not residential. I'm guessing light industrial area. Business is bad. Hardly any active cell phones. Although four are in the same building as our guy." Nell said.

"Whoever he is, he's got company." Eric said.

"Huh. The four numbers are sequential. They were bought at the same time." Nell said, looking back at Vance and Eric.

"Burn phones." Eric said.

"Bought where, Eric?" Vance asked.

Eric collected the data on the phones and found where they were purchased. "Prague airport yesterday. I think we just found Callen." Eric said.

"Or their cell phones." Vance said.

"Well they're all in close proximity. I'm guess the same room. Which means they could have one of the Comescus." Nell said.

"Or Comescu could have all of them. Text message, Eric." Vance said, making his way back to their work station.

"Who to?" Eric asked.

"All four of them. Maybe one of them will answer." Vance said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Old workshop-

Everybody was either wandering the workshop, or on prisoner duty. I decided to scan Dracul's phone, looking for anything for value.

"So what do you want to do with him?" Sam asked. Callen stopped what he was doing to listen to Sam's ideas. "We could tie him up, call an ambulance after we're clear of the beach house. Or do you have something else in mind? Your call." Sam said.

It was at this time that I found something very interesting in Dracul's cell phone. "I found something." I said, showing Callen the phone. "It's in his address book"

Callen saw the name—Ilena Vadim—but what really got his attention was the photo. It was a picture of Agent Hunter. Kensi came back over to the table to see what I was talking about, but Callen was going over to Dracul.

"Tell me about Ilena." Callen said, showing the picture of Hunter.

"She's not the woman you should fear." Dracul said.

"You still wanna be breathing when you walk out of here, tell me." Callen threatened.

"You think she's my girlfriend?" Dracul asked, barely able to contain the chuckle that escaped.

"Tell me!" Callen snapped.

"I've known her all my life. We played together when we were children. Ilena is my cousin." Dracul said.

At that moment our phones started beeping. "I'm so not expecting a phone call." I said.

But then Kensi and Sam's phone started to ring, and Callen's too. We all checked our phones, but Kensi said. "They found us."

Sam walked over to Callen to show him the message.

"Eric's good." I said.

"Eric and Nell are good." Kensi said.

Callen felt a light tap on his chest. He turn to see Sam showing him a message from an unknown caller that read _phone home_. It took Callen to think of a plan but he didn't have one, so he went back to the table and pick up his phone so he could call OPS. The phone rang once before someone on the other end of the line answered.

" _This is Eric._ " Eric said when he answered the phone.

"It's Callen." Callen answered.

" _Uh, hold for Director Vance._ " Eric said.

" _You're a long way from home Agent Callen_ " Vance said.

Callen scoffs. "Well a couple of days I would have agreed with you. Right now, I'm not so sure." Callen said.

" _Is your team okay_?" Vance asked.

"Not my team." Callen said.

" _Hetty's team, then?_ " Vance asked.

"We're fine." Callen said.

" _Have you found her?_ " Vance asked.

"She's in a beach house a couple of blocks from where we are." Callen said, rubbing the back of his head.

" _I see. Anything else?_ " Vance asked.

"They knew we were coming. They've been tracking us when landed in Paris. Have you heard the name Ilena Vadim?" Callen asked.

There was a moment of silence before Vance said. " _No, I haven't, but it appears Eric and Miss Jones have._ "

There was a brief silence before Nell said. "There _were two Comescu files on the server."_

" _Ilena's face had been blurred out._ " Eric said.

" _Eric unblurred it. Ilena Vadim and Agent Hunter appear to be the same person._ " Nell said.

" _Agent Hunter had been gather intel in Romania on the Comescu case for the past three months._ " Vance said.

" _Some of the photos go back further than three months._ " Eric said.

" _How much further?_ " Vance asked.

" _At least two years. Some to when she was a little girl._ " Eric said.

" _The photo captions suggest that she's one of the family._ " Nell said.

"Cousins, according to Dracul Comescu." Callen said.

" _And you believe him, Callen?_ " Vance asked

"He has no reason to lie. Look, somebody told them we were coming." Callen said, not believing the question he just heard.

" _The Comescus are in the human-traffic business. The pay corrupt officials to keep them informed._ " Vance said.

"Okay, well, that is one explanation." Callen said, as he started walking back to the table.

" _I don't want to believe the other explanation, Agent Callen._ " Vance said.

At that moment another phone started to ring, and it was Dracul's phone. I picked up the phone, and my eyes almost jump out of my head when I saw who the caller was. On the line, Callen could hear. " _Incoming call, Comescu's phone._ " There was a moment of silence. When Callen looked at the ID on the phone, heard Eric say. " _It's Hunter._ "

Callen looked over at Dracul, and then at me. He put his phone down, and then answered Dracul's phone. "Yes." Callen answered in Romanian.

" _Dracul, where are you?_ " Hunter asked in Romanian.

"He's with me." Callen said in English.

" _Callen. You're here already._ " Hunter said.

"Dracul couldn't make it to the phone." Callen said.

" _He's dead?_ " Hunter asked.

Callen looked at Dracul a moment before saying. "Bleeding."

" _Where are you?_ " Hunter asked.

"Close enough to see you arrive at the beach house. Hetty?" Callen asked.

" _I haven't seen her yet. But they're keeping her alive to flush you out._ " Hunter said.

"Well, it's working." Callen said.

" _How do you want to do this?_ " Hunter asked.

"I am opened to suggestions." Callen said.

" _Tell me where you are._ " Hunter said.

Callen thought about what to tell Hunter. She could be the person that ratted them out to the Comescus, but something in his gut told him that she didn't do it. "An old auto workshop. Two blocks off Main Street, one block south. There's a broken gas pump in front." Callen said.

Kensi and Sam were at a loss for words, but I figure Callen had a plan that he was working on.

" _Give me ten minutes._ " Hunter said.

"Ten minutes." Callen said. Callen hung up the phone, and then continued the call with Director Vance. "Get that?"

" _Agent Callen, do you have a plan?_ " Vance asked.

"Heh, I gave up being an agent when I turned in my badge." Callen said.

" _You didn't turn in you badge, you mistakenly left it on Hetty's desk. I put it in her drawer for safekeeping. Do you have a plan?_ " Vance asked.

Callen hesitated a moment before answering. "Yeah." Callen said.

" _Enlighten me._ " Vance said.

"Save Hetty." Callen said.

" _Carry on, Agent Callen._ " Director Vance said, and then hung up the phone.

"Pack up, we're getting out of here." Callen said.

"What about him?" Sam asked, as Kensi and I were packing up the gear.

"Tie him to the chair. I'll explain the plan on the way to the car." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

"Hunter's on our side. I mean, she has to be, right?" Eric asked.

Both Nell and Director Vance didn't have an answer to that question.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Comescu's house-

Alexa had poured the two of them drinks.

"So you knew his mother." Alexa said.

"Yes." Hetty said nodding her head.

"Tell me." Alexa said, taking a sip of the drink. Hetty was waiting a bit before answering, but before she could speak there was a knock at the door. Alexa went to see who was at the door. When she opened it, Hetty saw that it was Hunter. The two women made eye contact, and then Hunter whispered in Romanian. "They have Dracul."

"Where?" Alexa asked.

"An abandoned garage, two blocks from here." Hunter said.

"I know the place. Send Vasile and the others." Alexa said.

Hunter nodded her head, and then made eye contact with Hetty one last time. Hetty looked away as the Alexa shut the door. Alexa knew that Hetty and Hunter had made eye contact, so she decided to throw Hetty a bone. "Ilena was taken away by her father after her mother died. Two years ago, she came back to us." Alexa said.

"Came back to you?" Hetty asked.

"She's my niece." Alexa said, and took another sip of her drink.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Outside on the street, three Mercedes Benzes suv loaded to gills with Comescu's men drove off towards the auto shop where we were holed up a few minutes ago. In a car on the street, Sam and Callen watch the suvs drive by.

"Kensi, Deeks, go, go, go." Sam said into his phone.

"I count twelve. That should even up the odds." Callen said.

"Only until they discover we've gone. You see Hunter?" Sam asked.

"Nope." Callen said, as he put the car in gear and drove to the house.

Kensi and I approached the house from the beach with our guns drawn, and in the high ready positon. One of the gates was already ajar, so I used my gun arm to open it the rest of the way. Kensi and I were ten feet from the gate when the first guard spotted us. I fired two round into him, and Kensi fires two rounds into his partner. I checked the first guy to make sure he was down.

Throughout the house all that could be heard was gunfire and the screams of dying men. I suggested that we split up, but Kensi wasn't leaving my side.

"Kensi get to the car." I said.

"That's not part of the plan." Kensi said.

"True, but I have business to attend that will keep me away from L.A. for a while. Now get to the car." I said.

Kensi gave me a dirty look, and then ran to the car. I made my way to into the interior of the house. I found Sam, Callen, Hunter, and in a pantry. One look at Hetty and know she had been shot. "Walk it off Hetty." I said.

"Screw you Mr. Deeks." Hetty said, through gritted teeth

"No thanks." I said.

"What are you doing here Deeks? I thought I told you to wait at the car." Sam said.

"You did, but I have business with Alexa." I said.

"She's dead. Hunter shot her." Callen said.

"Really. Did she now?" I asked, looking at Hunter.

Hunter gave me a dirty look, and then I went to pick Alexa up off the floor. I rammed her body into the wall, and Alexa woke with a painful grunt. I spoke to Alexa in a language that only Hetty and Lara would understand. "Hello, Alexa." I said.

Sam and Callen jaws hit the floor when they saw Alexa come back to life.

"Phantom." Alexa said.

"Good. You know who I am already, so that spares me the time of introducing myself." I said to Alexa. In English I said. "It's time for you to go."

"We can't leave you here." Callen said.

"They won't find Alexa's body for a few hours." I said, and then left. I dragged Alexa along with me.

"That's our cue" Hunter said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Two months and twenty-eight days later-

I was stepping off a plane in Paris, France and looking to get a bite to eat. When I cleared customs I saw that I had a visitor waiting for me.

"Hetty." I said.

"How goes the fall of Cypher?" Hetty asked.

"I took down just about all of it." I said.

"And the portion that infiltrated the C.I.A.?" Hetty asked.

"From what I was able to piece together before I shut down the facility that rogue group is calling themselves the Syndicate now." I said.

"Any plans?" Hetty asked.

"Plans?" I asked.

"To take down the Syndicate?" Hetty asked.

"No. The Syndicate is going to be somebody else's headache. I've already fought my shadowy organizations. What are you doing?" I asked.

"I was on leave, and I decided to back you up from a distance." Hetty said.

"Well let's head back to Los Angeles." I said.

"Let's head back." Hetty said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Two days later-

Callen was coming down the stairs after finally finding Ashely Thomas, but Hunter was gone.

"Looking for someone Mr. Callen?" a voice from behind Callen asked.

Callen turned to see Hetty with a platter with a tea pot and two tea cups, but to his great surprise I was standing behind Hetty. "Deeks." Callen said, completely shocked by my return

"Nice to see you, too." I said. "Do you know where—" I didn't get a chance to ask the question because the three of us heard. "DEEKS!"

"Never mind." I said.

I turn to see Kensi coming down from Ops. "When did you get back?" Kensi asked.

Kensi was trying her best to hide her excitement at seeing me again, but I could see it all over her. "I just got back last night. I heard about the big case you just cleared. Want to get a burger and a beer talk about it?" I asked.

"That sounds great." Kensi said.

As Kensi and I left to get dinner, Sam was wondering the building. While Hetty and Callen had a heart to heart, Eric and Nell were up in Ops bickering about a software update.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Kensi and I got our burgers and beers to go. When we got to Kensi's place, she told me all about the case they had just closed and it was an interesting one. The perp succeed in bombing a rival's nightclub, and it seems that his body was found in the aftermath. _How glorious._ I thought. We sat down to eat on Kensi's couch when she asked. "So how about you. Where have you been these part three month?"

"I spent most of the three months freeze hang parts of my anatomy off at the South Pole." I said.

When I said that I had spent time in Antarctica, Kensi started to choke on the bite of the burger she had just taken. I did what I could to help Kensi clear the offending bite. She took a sip of her beer and then asked. "You were in Antarctica for three months?"

"Actually the last two days I spent traveling back to civilization. But, yes. I spent time in Antarctica" I said

"What happened down at the South Pole?" Kensi asked.

I launched into a long winded explanation about what I did in Antarctica, but before long Kensi started to doze off. I picked Kensi up in my arms, and carried her to bed. I tucked Kensi, kissed her forehead, and then left.


	36. Shenanigans Abound

I find myself at a little diner at six o'clock the morning after I returned. I knew from the caller Id that it was someone at the agency. Word of my exploits over the past three months had gotten out. They probably wanted know what transpired down south. The person I meet, was the same person I contacted the last few times I needed information, was a woman by the name of Sheik. Her name is deceiving because she is not of Middle Eastern descent.

I had a cup of coffee waiting for her when she arrived. Sheik sat down, took a sip of her coffee and then asked. "What happened?"

"Other than freezing my butt off for three months, it was pretty straight forward. Got in, erased the data, had a partner set some charges, and killed the guy in charge." I said.

"What are we going to do about the Syndicate?" she asked.

"Not my problem." I said.

"So it's going to be my problem?" she asked.

"If I were you, I'd jump ship. The C.I.A. isn't going to get rid of the enemy agents, so I don't see why we have to." I said.

"Someone has to get rid of them." she said.

"I'm perfectly happy with letting someone else handle the job. I've already handled one shadowy organization. I have no intention of taking on another." I said.

"Also I heard a rumor that someone from the agency was on the oil rig you went to a few months back" she said.

"Who?" I asked, before taking a sip of my coffee.

"A woman by the name of Joelle." she said.

"Did she have a clue that she was in the services of a rogue organization?" I asked, shocked to hear that Joelle was involved.

"Unknown. Your guess is as good as mine." she said.

"Any more surprises that I need to be aware of?" I ask.

"No. I'll be in touch." Sheik said, and then got up to leave.

"Yep." I said, and then left. I got back in my car and head for the beach.

I spent an hour at the beach, resolving to spend more time there. I haven't been surfing as much as I like. I get an unexpected call from an old associate when I'm driving home.

"Hello." I answered.

" _What's up Marty?_ " said a male voice on the other end of the line.

"Kip Brigham. To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?" I asked.

" _I'm having some friends over to watch the game this weekend. I was wondering if you wanted in._ " Kip said.

"I'm down. What time?" I asked.

" _Eight._ " Kip said.

"See you then." I said, and then hung up.

I get a shower when I get home, and then decide to run an errand before heading into work. That was until I get a message from Hetty reading that there is a team building exercise starting in an hour. _There goes that plan._ I thought as I was putting the vehicle in gear to head to work.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: gym-

 _What did I get myself into?_ I thought.

 _What is Hetty doing? How is this a team building exercise? And why are Deeks and I in the spotlight, while Callen and Sam are just standing around?_ Kensi thought.

Being this close to Kensi, and in this very setting, reminds me of the first time I was with Kenzie. To a T. But she got over herself real fast, and as they say, the rest is history. Except for Hetty and Nell, nobody knows that I was married before. This whole situation is starting to make me a little nervous.

Sam and Callen were in their workout gear, while Hetty was teaching me and Kensi a ballroom dance. Soft music is playing, as Hetty gives the four of us a history lesson about the dance that Kensi and I are doing.

"The waltz was revolutionary in the late eighteenth century because it was the first time couples faced each other when they danced. It was a scandalous display of public intimacy." Hetty said.

"Public intimacy. I like it." I said. The words were out of my mouth before I knew that they had entered my brain. Chalk it up to being nervous.

"Count." Hetty said.

"One, two, three." I said.

"One, two, three." Hetty also said.

I missed a stepped, and stepped right on Kensi foot. _Opps!_ I thought. Kenzie would have my head if I did that to her.

Kensi grunted. "He's stepping on me." Kensi said.

"That's not true. You keep putting your feet underneath mine when I lift up." I said, knowing full well it was a lie. Sam was laughing at the two of us.

"Know where I'm going to put my foot?" Kensi threatened.

"Why are we doing this?" I asked, looking at Hetty.

"Because you need to face each other and try to work together." Hetty said.

 _I'm pretty certain she's talking to Kensi. I can completely be professional when I have to._ I thought.

"Ah. We do work together." Kensi blurted out.

 _That was completely unprofessional_. I thought.

"Uh, yes, not always harmoniously." Hetty countered.

"Couldn't we do something like synchronized swimming instead?" I asked.

"Deeks?" Kensi cut in. She didn't want Hetty to take me up on the idea.

"What? It's just like this, exceptyou would be in a bikini." I said.

I thought I had found my rhythm, but the thought of seeing my Kensi in a bikini and high heels distracted me and I stepped on her foot again. "Ouch!" Kensi exclaimed.

"Grace." Hetty said.

"Sorry. I was thinking about bikinis." I said. Kensi had jerked me back into the dance position. "I'm listening! Ready? One, two, three."

"Posture, grace, floating as one." Hetty said.

"Kind of hard to float when you're in heels. Ow." Kensi said.

"That wasn't me." I said.

"Think of your partner." Hetty said.

"It's kind of hard when all she keeps talking about is high heels and bikinis." I said.

"Maybe Kensi should lead." Sam said.

"Isn't that what she's doing?" Callen asked.

"Not necessary. I just need to find my rhythm again." I said. The entire time we were dancing Kensi didn't look at me. When I said that I " _needed to find my rhythm again,_ " Kensi looked at me. Kensi didn't get to respond because Hetty was about to put Sam and Callen in their place.

"Really? I would love to teach the two of you the traditional Viennese waltz, with each other as partners." Hetty said. Kensi and I stopped dancing to watch the antics. _This is going to be great!_ I thought.

Sam chuckled at the thought of him and Callen dancing, and then Kensi and I started laughing. Then Sam, Kensi, and I are laughing together. But from the look on Hetty's face, Callen could tell that she was being serious.

"She's kidding." Sam said, looking over at Callen.

Callen and Hetty share a look, and then Callen said. "No, she's not."

"Agent Hanna, take your partner by the waist, back straight." Hetty said. Sam was blindsided by what Hetty just said. "Do I need to repeat myself?" Hetty asked.

"Hetty, you—" Sam begun with a look of disgust on his face.

"Hetty." Callen said.

"Sorry, guy, but we got a case. Hetty." Eric said.

"To Ops. Make sure to return the heels Miss Blye." Hetty said, as she exited the gym.

Kensi grabbed one of my arms to steady herself as pulled off one of the shoes. Both Kensi and I look at the length of the spike on the heels that she borrowed from Hetty.

"You guys owe me big time." Eric said.

"Anything you need." Sam said.

"Anytime you need it." Callen said.

Sam and Callen went to get a shower, as Kensi went to return the heels. I made my way up into one back halls on the second floor. When I got there, Nell was already waiting for me.

"So how did it go?" she asked.

"How would you feel dancing with Eric knowing full well that you had a relationship with him in a past life?" I asked.

"You have my condolences. It must have been excruciatingly painful trying to keep your feelings at bay. You wanted to talk." she said.

"I need you to discreetly dig into Kensi past." I said.

"Why should I do that?" she asked.

"Something is off about Kensi." I said.

"Off how?" she asked.

"Kensi could have done a lot of things with her life, but she found herself here." I said.

"You think something in her past could come back to haunt her?" she asked

"In our line of work." I said.

"Very true." Nell said, and then walked away.

I was staring out the window when I got lost in my own thoughts. I think back to the three months in Antarctica. How I played a lethal game of cat and mouse through the compound. I had to kill three men before I could kill the immortal in charge of the place. Or at least that's what Alexa tried to tell me, but I stole some information to help me navigate what I was walking into. I spent most of the time freezing my butt off. The last week I was there is when everything jumped off. The killings happened at the beginning of the week, and the middle of the week had an explosion. The next two days I was traveling back to civilization.

"Deeks."

I turned to see Kensi standing at the door to Ops. I nodded my head, and briefly looked back out the window again. When I entered Ops, I approached the center console behind Kensi and leaned against it. The case wasn't a normal one. There weren't any dead marines or sailors. There even wasn't a pending terrorist attack.

"So what's the problem?" Callen asked.

"There new software being developed." Eric said

"Uhhh." I said, knowing how this is going to go down.

"Problems, Mr. Deeks." Hetty asked, as everybody turned to look at me.

"How is that every time groundbreaking technology is being developed, a prototype is leaked before the program is fully operational?" I asked.

Nothing. It was dead quiet for a whole minute before Eric continued the briefing. "Well the prototype hasn't been stolen, but a ghost code has been implanted into the program."

"Ghost code?" Callen asked.

"It's a line of code that allows the program to be completed without people knowing its being copied." Eric said.

"Eric." Sam said.

"He means that the program can be fully developed. And when all the bugs have been worked out, the ghost code can replicate the software without alerting the developer of the breach." Nell said

Kensi turned and looked at me. "Oh. It's a lot worse than I expected" I said, rolling my eyes.

"When did they find the ghost code?" Sam asked.

"Two days ago." Eric said.

"How long until they try to leave the country with the program?" Kensi asked.

"Unknown?" Nell said.

"What are you saying? That the people have high end software, and they have no intention of leaving the country." Sam said.

"They're waiting for everything to blow over, and the heat to dissipate." I said.

"How long is that going to take?" Kensi asked.

"Unknown." Nell said.

"We're we able to track the where the software was being sent after it was copied?" Sam asked.

"A man was fired for uploading the software into the system, but he didn't have a copy of the software on thumb or a hard copy of the files in his personal effects." Eric said.

Something seemed off. All this fanfare, and no big heist was looming on the horizon. _Unless._ I thought and then something on the screen caught my attention. It's was a symbol of an A. The more I look at it I begin to realize that the symbol is actually a logo. Something doesn't add up. All the pieces are in place for a heist, but there aren't any signs of the job happening in the immediate future. I look at the A again, and then I realize that it's a V.

"Eric." I said.

"Yeah." Eric said.

"What company has a "V" for its logo?" I asked.

It took Eric a moment to the trace running, but it the trace was over as soon as it began. "Vasir. The company is called Vasir." Eric said.

As soon as Eric said the name of the company, Hetty and I knew what kind of trouble we were in. "Problems?" Sam asked.

"Vasir was just awarded a sizable contract by both our government, and Israel's to revamp our missile's guidance systems. Plus any other advancements they can think of." Hetty said.

"Deeks is right. It's a lot worse than we feared." Nell said.

"Who was the man spying for?" Callen asked.

"Does it matter? They're at least ten foreign governments who would want this technology. Either for themselves, or to foil our attacks." Hetty said.

"What do we do until learn the location of the meet?" Kensi asked.

"Just track the data. See if it moved from the building to any other locations." Nell said.

"Is there anything else?" Callen asked.

"Yeah. Got to Vasir, and get a copy of their database. It could help us track the theft, and keep an eye on the people involved." Eric said.

"You got it." Sam said, and then he and Callen left.

"I want you two to go and question the suspect." Hetty said.

"The address is on your phones." Nell said.

Kensi and I left OPS, driving out to Culver City, but it would be a bust. Callen and Sam on the other hand would be more successful.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Culver City-

Kensi pulled the SRX up in front of the suspect's house, and from the looks of the place I knew something was wrong. The big give away was that all the curtains were drawn. I saw that it was a bright, sun shiny day out, and the person's curtains were drawn.

"Is it me, or are we already too late?" I asked.

Kensi looked at the house, and asked. "Kind early to be saying that don't you think?"

"If you say so." I said, and then we approached the house.

I knocked on the door, and there was no answer after thirty seconds. Kensi then decided to ring the door bell, but there still was no answer after thirty seconds. I was looking at a spot on the frame, mesmerized really. I reached out and touched the spot, but it had already dried. And then I saw the hole in the door.

"Our guy had company recently." I said, pulling my gun.

Kensi pulled her gun, and then tried the knob. It was locked, so she holstered her gun and then picked the lock. Kensi drew her gun, and then opened the door. And as I thought the place had seen better days. To say that there was a struggle would be a massive understatement. On the floor three feet in front of us is a body with three bullet wounds in his chest. We gave the house a once over, and then the gloves came out. I noticed that there were a lot of portraits hanging on the walls. None of them have any monetary value.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Sam and Callen had returned with a flash drive of all the pertinent details of the contract that Vasir had acquired. "There is a lot of data here to sift through, so it's going to takes a while to get through. Days even." Eric said.

"Call Kensi. See if they found something." Callen said.

Sam pulled out his phone, and dialed Kensi. It rang twice before Kensi answered. " _Hey, Sam._ "

"You guys find anything at the apartment?" Sam asked.

Before Kensi could respond, the line went dead.

"What's wrong?" Callen asked.

"The line went dead." Sam said.

"Call Deeks." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Culver City, One minute ago-

Kensi was closing a hall closet when her phone started to ring. She checked the caller Id, and saw that it was Sam. "Hey, Sam." Kensi answered.

" _You guys find anything at the apartment?_ " Sam asked.

At that very moment, Kensi felt a hand left shoulder, followed by a female voice saying in very soft tones. "Hang up."

Kensi instinctively looked to her right and saw a gun. The woman said. "Please don't make a sound."

Kensi ended the call. Her mind was running a million miles a minute, trying to remember all the gun disarms she learned in training. But then the two woman heard me say.

"Are you digging the art in this place as much as I am? I mean it's bold and it's cool. I mean, why isn't there more cool art?" I ask, showing Kensi a portrait of a female silhouette in a provocative pose holding a gun in one hand. No response. I let the portrait slide in my hands, and then walk away. "Oh, another one. I wanna show you this one. This is my favorite because it's the perfect combination of girls and guns."

Kensi is shocked that I didn't see her being held at gun point. Kensi lowers her head in defeat, but what she and our unwanted guest didn't see was that I placed the portrait on the floor, and came back to face them with my gun drawn. I pause for a moment to take it all in. "Let me make this perfectly clear. If you harm her, this is going to be you last day on Earth." I said. I noticed two things. First, the look on Kensi face when I came back with my gun drawn. The look on her face was that she couldn't be more proud of me. The second was that our unwanted guest was a woman with blonde hair. At that moment my phone started to ring. And it continued to ring.

"Agent Deeks." the woman said.

"Sheik?" I said.

It was then Sheik released Kensi and holstered her gun. "It's okay Kens." I said, as I holstered my gun and then introduced the two women. "Kensi this is my contact within the C.I.A., codename Sheik."

"Nice to meet you." Kensi said.

"Pleasure. Sorry about the gun." Sheik said.

"Occupational hazard." Kensi said.

I answered the phone and gave an all clear, and then hung up. "What do you have for us?" I asked Sheik.

"I have information for N.C.I.S. about the case they are working." Sheik said.

"That's very generous of you." Kensi said.

"Sheik may work for the C.I.A. on paper, but she has no love for the agency." I said.

"What can you tell us about the Vasir heist?" Kensi asked.

"The person who uploaded the ghost code is in C.I.A. custody for other crimes he has committed, but we were able to find out that he was working for the Chinese. Here is the location of the cell that he was working with, but the only problem is that there are five people. Four are that location, while the fifth one is in the wind at the moment." Sheik said.

"Where is the trade going to be made?" I asked.

"At the gala that Vasir will be holding in two months." Sheik said.

"Our people have a list of all the things that were compromised when the code was uploaded." Kensi said.

"Getting into the event won't be easy. You will need to be invited to the event." Sheik said.

"That won't be a problem. Anything else?" I asked.

"I'll be in touch." Sheik said, and then left.

Kensi called a team to process the crime scene in case there was something that was missed, and then we left. It was a silent ride back to OPS, but this wasn't an uncomfortable silence. When we get back to OPS, we got out of the SRX and head inside. Before we get to the door Kensi stopped short.

"Yeah." I said.

"How did you know?" she asks.

"How did I know that you were in trouble?" I asked.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Remember that portrait I showed you?" I said.

"It was hideous." she said without missing a beat.

"That's how I knew." I said.

"I don't understand." She said.

"Sheesh, Kensi. I showed the picture to you on purpose." I said.

"To get a response from me." she said. All I did was nod my head. "Oh, I get it. So when I didn't respond with one of my pithy quips."

"I knew you were in trouble." I said, with a silly smile.

"Thank you." Kensi said, but something seemed off. It seemed like she wanted to do something more than just saying "thank you", but I don't force the issue.

"You're welcome." I said.


	37. Chapter 37

"So what did you learn?" Hetty asked when Kensi and I entered Ops.

"One of my contacts within the C.I.A. told us that the suspect has been detained by them for other crimes he has been linked too, but she did tell us that he was working with the Chinese. She gave us the location of the cell, but there is a member currently unaccounted for." I said.

"Where is the exchange supposed to take place?" Sam asked.

"At the gala that Vasir will be hosting in two months." Kensi said

"Most likely to unveil all the projects that they have finished." I said.

"I'll send a team to take down the cell, but we still have to worry about that rogue member." Hetty said.

"Well, we should probably go check out the site where the gala will be held. Do any reconnaissance." Callen said.

"Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

"Yeah Hetty." I said.

"I want you to escort Miss Jones to the venue that Vasir will be using for the gala in two months." Hetty said.

"You got it." I said.

"I got the location." Nell said.

"After you, madam." I said with a foreign accent.

"Why, thank you." Nell said, in an accent that matched mine.

The team waited until Nell and I left before Callen asked. "Did Nell and Deeks speak with a Scottish accent?"

"I found Mr. Deeks in Scotland. Miss Jones was an agent of mine in London. When Miss Jones finished her duties in England, I brought her to Scotland." Hetty said.

"Was Deeks born in Scotland?" Sam asked.

"Yes, he was. He's also fluent in over ten different languages and dialects. Dialects that aren't currently being used." Hetty said.

The team couldn't say anything about my impressive array of languages on my resume, but Sam blew off my accomplishments.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Vasir headquarters-

Nell and I were amazed by the depths of Vasir's pockets. Their headquarters was large enough to have all its departments in one location. There were five departments in all. They even had enough money to have a ballroom built on the grounds. Nell and I were shown to the ballroom, and on the way there our guide talked up the big event in two months. It seems that we were sent in undercover. Then again, who would want federal agents snooping around their premises after they discovered a massive breach in their systems? _I know I wouldn't._ I thought.

"This is the ballroom, where we will be the unveiling all of the projects." she said.

"How do we get an invite?" I asked, probing for information.

"It's not open to the public. Only top military officials, contractors, and those in the department of defense are invited." she said.

Our guide had checked her phone to see that she had a message. "Do you have any further questions?" she asked.

"No." Nell said.

"One of our security personnel will escort you out. If you will excuse me, I have a meeting that I have to get to." she said.

At that moment, a security guard arrived to escort us out of the building. I made small talk with Nell about where to stop for lunch, but Nell kept chatter to a minimum. I knew something was up, just not sure to what extent. When we exited the building, I stopped talking until we got to the car. Upon entering, both Nell and I activated out earpieces, and then I started the car.

"Eric." Nell said.

" _Yeah, Nell._ " Eric said.

"I'm uploading data that we collected from Vasir, and it's quite a bit." Nell said.

" _How much of it is digital?_ " Eric asked.

"Most of it is either technical schematics, or video footage." Nell said. Nell reached up and pulled the glasses off of my face. "I'm uploading the video footage now."

"I was wondering why you had me wear glasses." I said.

"You're the most unpredictable person on the team." Nell said, she pulled the laptop out from under her seat and booted it up.

"I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment." I said.

" _I just finished watching the video footage. Trust me, it's a compliment. All I have to do is make a work around._ " Eric said.

"It should be ready at any moment." Nell said.

" _And were in. Now all we have to do is line up the blue print with Deeks line of sight, and we might be able to make something of your encounter. Hurry back, will you? There is a lot of data to sift through._ " Eric said.

"Sure thing ba—Err, Eric." Nell said.

Nell and I turned off our earpiece, and then I laid into Nell. "Now you know how I feel." I said, teasing Nell.

"Shut up." she said, ignoring the jab.

"It's okay. You're in love with you coworker. I was married to my coworker in a past life." I said, still teasing.

"Okay, look. Eric is a little to eccentric compared Jake. The first day I started working with Eric, I couldn't stop myself. I was completing his sentences, finishing his thoughts. You couldn't begin to understand how badly I want to corner Eric and start making out with him." she said.

"For the record, I already stated that I was married to Kensi in a past life. And even her name was Kenzie, too!" I said.

"A fair point." Nell said, and then went back to the laptop.

It was a long trip back to OPS because we caught lunch traffic. When we got back to OPS, everybody was up in Ops waiting for us. "What do we have?" I asked.

Nell walked over to her station and finished the upload.

"Geez, Deeks. What were you on when you entered Vasir? I've never seen you that fidgety." Sam said.

"His "fidgetiness" mapped out a lot of the ground floor. We can over lay the map that Deeks made with the map of the building that Nell got." Eric said.

Sam rolled his eyes, and I just lowered my head at Sam's ignorance. Eric and Nell worked for five minutes to build a three dimensional model of Vasir's headquarters. Eric and Nell began the briefing, but I was wondering how the four of us would get into the event. And then a funny question crossed my mind. "A quick question." I interrupted.

"Yeah." Eric said.

"Did we figure out if the ghost code will transmit the programs off site when it finishes, or does the agent have to return to get the information?" I asked.

"You have to been on site to pick up the information." Nell said.

"Do we have a photo of the missing agent?" Kensi asked.

"Working on it." Hetty said.

"Our only option is to infiltrate the gala and catch the trade as its happening." Callen said.

"As of right now." Hetty said.

Eric and Nell went over the details of what we have learn so for, but I had a funny thought. What exactly is Vasir doing for entertainment? They could do a lot of things, but I'm going to have Nell look into it after this meeting is done. Which to my great surprise is now. "Sam and I will run down this new lead, Kensi and Deeks you be ready to move." Callen said.

"You got it." Kensi said.

Everybody exited the room except for Nell and I. "Yeah." Nell said

"Can you look into the entertainment that Vasir will be offering for the gala?" I asked.

Nell wasn't exactly sure where I was going with this, but went along anyways. It didn't take long for Nell to find what we were looking for, and it wasn't what we were expecting.

"Are they for real?" she asked.

"You saw their headquarters. They can do whatever they want for entertainment. No matter how odd it seems." I said.

"You want me to put you on the list?" she asked.

I whisper something in Nell's ear. Nell looked up at me with a shocked look on her face. "What?" I said.

"You got it." Nell said, with a smile that I haven't seen in ages.

I exited the room, and head down to the bull pen. As I was descending the stairs I saw that the only Kensi was present, and she was packing her bag. "Where's Callen and Sam?" I asked.

"It's five o'clock, and we have no leads. Hetty is cutting us loose." Kensi said, and then left.

"Bye." I said, absentmindedly. I thought about what the entertainment for the gala is, and thought about how was going to set my plan in motion. I remembered that studio downtown, and then resolved to head there tomorrow. I heard chatter that L.A.P.D. was having issues serving warrants, and I fear that this is the moment that Hetty warned me about. I put it out of my mind though, and then pack up my gear.

I get home, I drop my gear in the recliner, and take Monty out. We're outside for twenty minutes, and then we're back inside. I stopped by this Chinese restaurant on the way home from work that some people back at the precinct were raving about. The place is called Yuma Yum. The name sounds ridiculous, but after my first bite I realized why this place had rave reviews. It's a place you would go to if you were drunk. I kept eating the food knowing full well it was bad for my health. To be honest though, I really don't care. The food tastes amazing. I think I might have to take Kensi here some time. I finish eating, clean up the kitchen, and then go take a shower. I crawl into bed, and fall asleep in record time.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Next Week-

The weekend came and went, although it was good to see Kip again. Kip saved his money up from all the games he has been in playing and bought a mansion. Kip's house is loaded, but he has only bought things he really needed. I told Kip that I was proud of everything he has achieved since graduating college. Kip got choked up, and gave me a hug. Most of his guest were his team mates, but we hit it off none the less. At the end of the night, Kip gave me a bottle of tequila that I accepted gracefully. I don't care for tequila, but I know the group will go for it. I'll break it out at the Christmas party in a few months.

I arrive to work on Monday to see that everybody is in a hurry. I entered the bull pen after dodging a few interns. "What's the rush?" I ask Kensi.

"There's a big shake up happening, but I'm not sure when it's going to happen." Kensi said.

"The people in Washington think we aren't acting accordingly." Sam said, entering the bull pen.

"Hetty even said that the rope that she had for us, was going to be used a noose for her." Callen said.

"Bureaucrats." I said, turning to look at Hetty. She was currently on the phone, probably talking to someone in Washington.

"Guys, we found something." Eric said from the balcony.

"What did you find?" Callen said.

"You should come take a look at this." Eric said.

I dropped my gear, and fell in line behind Kensi as the four of us climbed the stairs up to Ops. When we entered Ops, we saw a woman on the screen. And if I had to guess it was the last member of our Chinese cell, but something about her features is off.

"So this is our missing member of the Chinese cell?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but there has been a development." Nell said.

"Oh, what's that?" Callen asked.

"She isn't Chinese." Nell said.

"What? That's a women?" Kensi asked.

"That's a woman, and she is Korean." I said.

"Yes, she is." Nell said.

"How did you know she was Korean?" Sam asked.

"I've spent a long time working with the Koreans." I said.

"So are you telling me that the North Koreans were working with the Chinese to steal our technology?" Callen said.

"No. The North had setup the whole thing to make it look like the Chinese were going to steal our technology." I said.

"Exactly." Eric said. "We traced everything back to the North Korea. It was even their ghost code that was uploaded into the system."

"Well this case keeps getting stranger by the day." Callen said.

"That it does, Mr. Callen." Hetty said entering Ops. "What's the play?'

"We still have to get invites so we can keep tabs on the exchange." Callen said.

"I'll make a few phone calls, and see if I can't get you two into the building." Hetty said.

"Two?" Sam asked.

"Miss Jones is currently backstopping Mr. Deeks and Miss Blye cover for working the event." Hetty said.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Deeks." Sam said.

"Don't you think you should have ran it by me first?" Callen asked.

"Why? What I have planned will give Kensi and me a reason to be out in the open and looking for the agent. You two will be in the crowd looking from there." I said.

"That's smart. Good thinking Deeks." Sam said.

I nod my head, but I could tell that Callen didn't like that I went over his head. _I don't give two craps what he thinks, though._ I thought. "It seems that everything is in order. I'll inform the director of what we have laid out for the operation." Hetty said, and then left Ops.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Two months later: Vasir headquarters-

Sam and Callen were in the crowd looking for the agent when the heard. " _So this is what Hetty meant by floating one._ " Kensi said.

" _That she did._ " I said.

"Deeks." Sam said, turning to look at me.

" _Yes._ " I said.

"Have you been holding out on us?" Sam asked.

" _I have no idea what you're talking about._ "

" _He's lying. Deeks has definitely been holding out on us._ " Kensi said.

"I mean… It's okay to admit that you've been taking dancing lessons." Callen said.

" _I'm not the one who got out of dancing lessons._ " I said, reminding the senior agents of the bullet they dodged two months ago. " _If anybody needs dancing lessons, it's you two._ "

"Shut up Deeks." Sam said, rolling his eye.

Kensi and I had been on the dance floor for about two hours. Sam watched us on and off during that two hour period, and all he saw was a look of pure joy from Kensi, and a look of concentration from me.

"You all right Deeks. You seemed to be pouring all your concentration into not stepping on Kensi feet." Callen asked.

" _Sort of, but I'm trying to keep an eye out for the missing agent._ " I said.

" _Sam. Callen. We have movement in the back by the refreshments. Could be our agent._ " Eric said.

"On it." Sam said.

" _Callen stay where you are. Sam you check it out._ " I said.

"Why?" Callen asked.

" _Just trust me._ " I said.

"If you say so." Sam said, and then went to check the table.

There was an announcement being made at that moment. The host said that Kensi and I would be performing a solo dance, and asked if the other couples would clear the dance floor.

" _Who's leading?_ " Kensi asked.

" _Wait for it._ " I said.

I positioned myself in front of Kensi just as the musicians got ready for their next set. When they started to play again it was as if a spell had been cast on the Kensi and the audience. Kensi and I performed a very sensual Tango, and the audience just watched us perform. Even Sam and Callen were stunned at first.

" _Mr. Callen. Mr. Hanna. The Korean spy._ " Hetty said.

"Ma'am." Sam and Callen said.

Just before Callen started to move again, I saw the people who were talking, or of them was walking towards Callen. While the spy was walking along the back wall. " _Sam the spy is walking along the back wall. Callen the person who had downloaded the projects is walking towards you._ " Nell said.

Sam and Callen moved in to take down their targets, arrested them, and escorted them out quietly. As they were walking away they heard Kensi say. " _So that's why you had us dancing. As a distraction._ "

" _In many ways._ " I said.

" _Shut up._ " Kensi said.

" _At least you had fun._ " I said.

" _Yes. Yes, I did._ " Kensi said.

A few minutes later we heard Hetty ask. " _Everything good?_ "

"We're clear." Sam said

" _Time to wrap everything up, Mr. Deeks._ " Hetty said.

I saw Kensi begin pout. _Man! Her lower lip sticks out exactly like Kenzie's._ I thought. Before I could say anything, the M.C. took the mic and said that the last dance was quickly approaching. " _Just remember to return the suit, dress, and shoes to wardrobe after you finish._ " Hetty said.

I saw Kensi get so excited like a kid who got their favorite toy for Christmas, and I made sure Kensi enjoyed the last dance.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

It was three days after the Vasir op, and Kensi had just gone home for the day, but Hetty had called me up to Ops. I saw Sam, Callen, Nell and Eric were all present. And I had a bad feeling about this meeting.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"I'm sure you heard the rumors about the mole inside L.A.P.D.?" Hetty asked.

"I heard about all the fail attempts to arrest Clarence Fisk." I said.

"Fisk has acquired twenty bricks of RDX." Callen said.

"That's military grade explosives." I said.

"Yes. He has a meet tomorrow with a group of Aryans who are looking to purchase the explosives." Sam said.

"So where do I factor into this?" I asked.

"You're still an employee of the L.A.P.D., per se." Sam said.

And then I realized what was about to happen. The day that Hetty warned me about had come. "You want me to infiltrate the L.A.P.D. and flush out the mole from there. But Kensi knows I'm employee of N.C.I.S." I said.

"Let me handle that." Hetty said.

"Okay." You got it.

"It's our best shot at getting the RDX back before the Aryans can get their hands on it." Callen said.

I sigh, and resigned myself to my fate. "For the record, keeping Kensi in the dark on this is a dick move. One I would never do to her." I said

"Acknowledged." Hetty said.

"So how is this going to play out?" I asked.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

A random park-

Someone was jogging on a dirt trail overlooking a sports stadium parking lot. A black man in a jogging suit was approached by an Aryan wearing a black tank top, a camouflage vest, black fingerless gloves, and black pants. The Aryan had a gun in his right hand.

"I left my wallet in the car. I can get it for you just… Just don't hurt me." the black man said.

"Aren't you Clarence Fisk?" the skinhead asked.

One of Clarence Fisk's guys came up behind the Aryan, and slammed a gun between his shoulder blades, knocking him to the ground. "Ugh. Agh." the Aryan grunted out.

Clarence kicked the gun away, and another one of his men picked it up. Clarence knelt down beside the Aryan and spoke very candid with him. "Listen close, Adolf. I got rules. Bring a gun to a business meeting, I'll walk away." Clarence stood up and wiped the dirt off his knees, and continue. "Say my name in public again, and I'll kill you."

One of Clarence guys picked the Aryan up by his arms. "Lead the way. " Clarence said.

Off in the bushes, Sam and Callen were watching the interaction. Callen was taking pictures, and Sam was watching through binoculars.

"Kensi, tell L.A.P.D. that Fisk and the Aryans have made contact. They need to hang back." Callen said.

" _Got it._ " Kensi said.

"Got say, Fisk does have swagger." Sam said.

"Swagger?" Callen asked.

"Panache, chutzpah, flair. The undefinable it. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Kind of style like that can't be taught, G. Game recognizes game." Sam said.

"Float after me, butterfly." Callen said as he was moving to get a better position of the meet.

"And haters gonna hate." Sam said, smiling as he followed Callen.

Down in the SRX, Kensi started to realize something was wrong. "Our position is completely wrong." Kensi said.

 _So it begins._ I thought, but then I saw a beautiful woman come jogging by in tight clothing. "And yet, it's so right." I said.

"No, no. We should be on foot with Callen and Sam, not stuck back here. That's what L.A.P.D. is for. No offense." Kensi said. Kensi was going to correct herself, but I cut her off.

"Whatever." I said, still distracted by the jogger.

"Are you listening to me?" Kensi asked, as she grabbed the binoculars out of my hand.

"Ow. Sorry, Hashtag, I think I'm in love L-O-V-E. Huh?" I said with a grin, as I grabbed the binoculars back from Kensi.

"Hashtag, my pater's a loser." Kensi said.

"Hashtag, sounds like a personal problem." I shot back, with a big grin on my face.

Up in a field, Fisk and his men were approaching a picnic table where the Aryan's boss was waiting for him. Fisk sat down at the table, after having a mini staring contest with the boss's right hand.

"Show me the RDX." the head Aryan said.

"Show me how you'll pay for it." Fisk said.

The head Aryan waited a beat, and then pulled out a briefcase and opened it. Back at the SRX, the jogger was stopped by one of the Aryan's that was on guard duty.

"Okay, Aryan's guarding the meet, girls getting feisty. Not a good combination." Kensi said.

"If she's smart she's just gonna walk away." I said.

We watch as the jogger started to walk away. It looked like she was reaching for her phone, but the Aryan grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

"Callen, Sam, one of the Aryan lookouts just assaulted a civilian." I said.

" _How bad?_ " Callen asked.

"Bad. With the potential of getting a lot worse." I said.

" _All right, hold your position._ " Callen said.

"You've got to be kidding me." I said.

Next thing we saw was the Aryan slap the jogger. "Okay, it just got worse."

I stepped out of the SRX, and made my way over to the scuffle. _I hope this plan of theirs works._ I thought as I was walking over. I heard Kensi get out, but I didn't stop.

"Hey! L.A.P.D.!" I shout as I take off running. Why I shouted L.A.P.D. I have no idea, and I'm pretty certain Kensi is wondering the same thing.

"You want to die, hero?" the Aryan asked, and then started reaching into his shirt.

"Don't. Don't!" I shout, but instincts take over and I fire two rounds into the man's chest.

The man drops to the ground, dead. Up in the field, the Aryans and Fisk and his men clear out.

"Eric, op's been blown." Callen said.

As Kensi was checking on the jogger, I approached the dead Aryan checking for a weapon. And I was horrified by what I found.

"Are you okay? Are you okay?" I heard Kensi ask.

"I thought he was going to kill me." she said.

"It's okay, you're safe now. You're okay." Kensi said. Then she asked me. "Where's his gun?"

All I found was a cell phone. "Deeks, where's his gun?" Kensi asked again.

I could hear the people who were supposed to back up us start to fan out and setup a perimeter.

I hesitate a little bit longer before saying. "He didn't have one."


	38. The Debt Part I

Callen, Sam, Kensi, and myself returned to OPS after being cleared by L.A.P.D., but I was told to expect a call from Bates later. Kensi gave me a sideways glance, but I deflected it and walked away. I head back to the SRX and got in. Kensi got in, and took us back to OPS. I head to the gym to workout, while Kensi went with Callen and Sam to brief Hetty on the failed op. But Kensi was conveniently asked to check on me. Kensi found me in the gym, hitting a heavy bag. I saw her as soon as she walked in, and I agonized the seconds it took for Kensi to get to me. I hated having to lie to Kensi. Lying to Kensi felt wrong. As if I was lying to Kenzie. _Working and being in loving with Kensi is a lot more complicated than I thought it be._ I thought.

I throw a few punches for good measure, but I'm still dreading the conversation that is going to happen in three… two…

"How you holding up?" Kensi asked.

"I killed people for the agency, I killed a lot more guys as a cop, and all of them deserved it. Life or death situations. Until today." I said.

"Guy was a neo-Nazi murder wanted by the FBI since '04." she said.

"Yeah, well L.A.P.D. gave me a badge because I know when not to pull the trigger." I said.

"L.A.P.D.? I thought you were an N.C.I.S. agent." she said.

"Knowing Hetty, she's going trying push me off on to L.A.P.D. to protect the agency." I said.

"No she wouldn't." she shot back.

"You want to bet?" I asked.

There was a moment of silence that slowly began to suffocate us, and Kensi blinked first. "She can't do that." she said.

I can see the plea in Kensi eyes. Wanting me to tell her that Hetty wouldn't stoop so low, but I can't tell her. No matter how much I want to, I can't. "If you want the truth you're going to have to ask Hetty. But back to the matter at hand: if I lost that edge, man, I'm just another thug with a gun."

"I would have done the same thing." she said. Kensi didn't my deflection, but she is doing everything to support me in this horrible moment. _If she only knew the truth._ I thought.

"Right." I said.

"I'm here for you, okay?" Kensi said.

I can feel the tension begin to break. Just a few words and I can feel the guilt begin to slowly dissipate. Like Kenzie used to do, just a few words, and it made me see that everything is going to be all right. It takes all that I can not to open my big mouth. I nod that I understand, and then go back to hitting the heavy bag. Kensi looked down momentarily, and then she looked up at me. Kensi backed away slowly, not taking her eyes off of me until she turned and left the gym.

Kensi enters the bullpen to see Callen and Sam staring at a picture of the dead man form the park earlier. "What do we know?" Kensi asks.

"Cops are blaming us for spooking Clarence Fisk. Looks like the L. . is dissolving the task force and going after him without us." Callen said.

"Deeks made a judgement call." Kensi said.

"And our target's still out there with twenty bricks of RDX explosives." Sam said.

"Deeks killed an unarmed man." Callen said. Kensi didn't even look Callen in the eye. She was still getting over this very conversation with me. "Look, he's L.A.P.D., not N.C.I.S. They will handle it. Hopefully this blows over." Callen said.

"How is that six months ago Deeks was an N.C.I.S. agent. Now he's being kicked to the curb for a mistake that anyone of us could make." Kensi said.

"Deeks is getting off lucky. He could get suspend. Can't imagine for very long. If it was one of us, Hetty could fire us without hesitating and we would be out of a job. In the meantime, this is for the best." Sam said.

"For the best?" Kensi asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from the senior agents.

"Puts some distance between us and L.A.P.D. Fisk has stayed ahead of them for way too long. He could have bought a mole, cultivated a source." Callen said.

"We're better off without them. Take Fisk down on our own, recover the RDX before he sells it to the Aryans." Sam said.

"And what about Deeks? We should be trying to figure a way to help him out." Kensi said. To say that Kensi was pissed off that Callen and Sam were being callous about me getting thrown under the bus would be an understatement of the year.

"We can offer our moral support, but not much else, Kens." Callen said.

Kensi stared at Callen for a moment, and then looked over at Sam. Sam shook his head no. Kensi looked back at Callen, and then left the bullpen. Callen waited until Kensi was out of sight before saying. "This could get ugly."

"It already is." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

My L.A.P.D. precinct-

Hetty went to see Bates in person to see if she could smooth things over.

"First time I saw Clarence Fisk, he was just another gangbanger out of South Central." Bates said standing next to his window

Hetty was looking at all of the photos on the bulletin board that Bates had up in his office. "How long ago was that?" Hetty asked.

"Fifteen years. I want him for a dozen unsolved murders since then. Not included the ones he ordered. But nothing every sticks. Fisk is always one step ahead." he said.

Hetty stepped away from the board, and taking a moment to catch her breath before apologizing. "I'm sorry about what happened out there today, lieutenant."

"My unit's tight-knit. MacLeod had skills, but he was never one of the guys. Gave him time, but he never fit in. So when you came looking for him. I was naïve enough to think that he could find a place to call home. Hmm… I don't know what's worse. That he shoots first and asks questions later, or that you're here to offer him up as some sort of sacrificial lamb to protect your own butt. What did you do to him?" he asked.

Hetty looked at Bate sideways for having the audacity to ask such a stupid question. "In my opinion, Mr. MacLeod saw a threat and acted accordingly." she said.

"We'll see what Internal Affairs has to say." Bates said, as he took his seat. Hetty knew that the conversation was over, so she turned and left Bates' office.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

The four of us were leaving Ops, heading back down to the bullpen.

"Fisk's business is solid. I mean L.A.P.D. can't even get a parking ticket to stick to him." I said.

"We are not L.A.P.D., and selling stolen military explosives to white supremacists is our jurisdiction." Kensi said as we were entering the bullpen.

"Nell." I said, pointing at Nell when we entered the bullpen asking for an update.

"Yeah. Lieutenant Bates heads the task force that's been going after Fisk. Bates is a pro, regarded as the best interrogator in the L.A.P.D., but somehow Fisk manages to stay one step ahead of him." Nell said, as she brought a picture of Bates up on the plasma. The plasma also has photos of Fisk on it as well.

"I got a hit on one of Clarence Fisk's phone lines. He just called his attorney. Her name is Monica Lee. Now she's represented Fisk in court fourteen times and has never lost a case." Eric said.

"No lawyer puts together a win streak like that without having someone on the inside." Callen said.

"So who's Fisk's mole?" Sam asked.

"Well, Angela Tully might be a good place to start." Nell said, and then brought up a photo of Angela on the plasma. "She's been handling the Fisk case for the district attorney's office."

"Okay, so Tully's a major player in the case. Fisk could have turned her. Bottom line, this mole is the only thing stopping us from getting the stolen RDX back from Fisk. We need to find him." Callen said.

"Or her." Kensi said.

"Detective MacLeod." Hetty said entering the bullpen.

 _Here we go._ I thought, knowing full well what was about to be said. "Yes." I said.

"The L.A.P.D. has cut ties with N.C.I.S. Liaison duties are discontinued, effective immediately. I'm sorry." Hetty said, patting my shoulder as she looked at the rest of us and then exited the bullpen.

"What does that mean?" Kensi asked after Hetty left the bullpen.

"Hetty just fired me." I said.

Nell and Eric head back up to Ops. Callen, Sam and Kensi sat in silence as I pack up my things. I was hoping to get out of here before Kensi said anything, but as I was finishing up I heard her ask. "Why don't you just quit? Just resign from L.A.P.D. and apply to become an N.C.I.S. agent. Legitimately."

"It's not that easy." Callen said.

 _Finally!_ _This is their mess, they should being say a lot more than what they already have. But they haven't said squat. And they won't._ I thought. "He's right. L.A.P.D. is going to have Internal Affairs all over me. They're going to schedule a hearing. A judge is going to review the evidence and if he finds me at fault, my career's over. Wow, that sounds weird to say out loud." I said.

I can see Kensi is taking this really hard, so I'm going to speed up my exit before I get in trouble, and lose my job for real. "Okay. I should probably get going." I said, and then walk around the front of my desk because the first person to say their goodbyes was Callen. We clasps hands, and brought in for a hug.

"Hang in there." Callen said.

I turn to look at Sam, who is shaking his head as he said. "I'm not hugging you."

"That's good because you haven't wined and dined me yet." I said sarcastically.

"You got on my nerves a lot. You and I couldn't be more different, but you made the team better." Sam said.

We shook hands, and I said. "Thank you." I brushed my hair off to one side, and prepared to lie to Kensi again. I feel sick to my stomach for lying to Kensi, but Kensi was suffering just as much as me. _More, actually._ I thought. Sam and I looked at Callen to continue the conversation.

"We still have to track down—"

"Angela Tully. Our missing DA's investigator and possible mole. Yes." Kensi said, standing up from here desk.

Callen and Sam took this as their cue to leave. EH! _Don't leave me here with her._ I thought as they left, but I know that I needed to have this time with Kensi. Kensi started to walk around her desk towards me as she said. "If you ever need anything…"

"I know." I said.

"…I'll be…" she continued.

"Right." I said.

There was a moment of silence before Kensi asked. "That's all you have to say?"

"I don't know what you want me to say right now. This isn't easy for me either." I said, as I turned and picked up my things.

Kensi hesitated at first and then said. "I have something to say. And I think if I don't say it now, I'll probably never will, so give me the chance to come out and say it."

I had an inkling on what Kensi was going to say, and if it was true, I couldn't be happier. _But..._ I thought as I turned back to face her. "I don't think this is the right time to say it." I said.

"Well, it is what it is." Kensi blurted out.

"Right, and we are what we are." I said.

I can see the look of defeat in Kensi eyes. "We were what we were. And it's over now." There was a poignant pause before Kensi continued again. "I just—I kind of hoped you'd have more to say." Kensi took a deep breath and waited for me to say what she really needed to hear. But it was not meant to be.

"I don't know. I mean, I think that it just takes maybe more time for me to process it." I lied, wishing that Kensi would let me leave and go start the investigation from L.A.P.D. There was a moment of silence before I continued. "Okay. Well, then I will… Uh, I'll call you."

"You'll call me." She asks, hurt by my callousness.

"Yes, I will call you and we will figure it out." I said.

"Figure it out." she repeated.

"Exactly." I said. I waited a few seconds, looking at Kensi one last time before I have to go back to that godforsaken building that some N.C.I.S. stooge left me in for five years. But before I leave I give Kensi hope by saying. "We always do."

"Right." Kensi says.

Over in wardrobe, Callen and Sam were checking out items that will be for their next venture.

"It's time to visit Fisk's lawyer, bait her and see how she reacts." Callen said, as he perused the suit rack.

"Maybe she admits more than should know. Follow her up the food chain till we get our man." Sam said.

Callen pulls a button up shirt and a suit coat off the rack, and shows them turns to Sam saying. "I have a special name for this outfit." Sam gives Callen a funny look, wondering where his partner was going with this. "Swagger." Callen says.

Sam is a little taken back by what he just heard, and is looking at. "Games looking, game sees nothing." Sam says as he put a fancy necklace on.

Callen gives Sam a sideways glance. "Haters gonna hate." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Monica Lee's office-

Callen and Sam were shown to Monica's conference room and were asked to wait there. They had been waiting for fifteen minutes before Monica had returned. The partners heard the door open, and saw Monica Lee enter the room.

"About time." Callen said, as Monica shut the door.

"Heard all about you from Clarence Fisk." Sam said.

"Then you must know how he feels about people saying his name." Monica said, as she walked towards the table.

"I'm Sam Burton. This is my business associate, Mr. Carl." Sam said.

"Think of me as an investment advisor." Callen said.

"Mr. Carl cleans my money." Sam said, as he sat on the edge of the table. Callen gave Sam a look " _What are you doing?"_ look. "Relax its attorney-client privilege, all right?" Sam said.

"Mm. That only applies to attorneys and their clients. We're neither." Monica chimed in.

"Look, Fisk told me if I had a problem, I call you, okay? I got a problem, so I'm here." Callen said, very animate.

"All right. I hope you don't mind if I check you out with Mr. Fisk." Monica said

Callen couldn't believe what he was hearing, but Sam jumped in. "Mr. Carl is helping to broker a deal between your client and the Aryan Lowriders. We're here because he got a visit from N.C.I.S. and L.A.P.D."

"When was this?" Monica asked.

"An hour ago." Callen said.

"Are you trying to play an angle on me? The task force didn't visit you because it no longer exists." Monica said.

There was a moment of silence while Monica's sunk in. Monica looked between the two men and realized that she overplayed her hand.

"How could she know that?" Sam asked.

"Somebody must have tipped her off." Callen answered.

"Who the hell are you?" Monica asked.

"Two guys that are going to smoke out your client's mole in the L.A.P.D." Callen said, as he approached Monica. Sam took this as the opportune time to stand up from the table.

Monica stared angrily at the two men. "I'm very busy, gentlemen. Security will show you out." she said, and then left.

Callen walked towards the door, but turned and grinned at Sam.

"I'd say she's nice and spooked." Sam said.

"Time to see where she runs." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. LA.

L.A.P.D. stationhouse-

I knock on Bates door, and then enter.

"You regret it?" Bates asked, as I shut the door.

I take a moment to think on what my answer should be. I'm guessing he's talking about my shooting the Aryan this morning. "I mean, I thought the Lowrider was going kill the girl and then kill me. I made a judgement call. I'll live with it." I said, as I made my way to sit down in a chair across from Bates' desk.

"I meant N.C.I.S. I thought they fight a lot harder to keep you. Apparently you don't belong there either." he said.

I scoff at his remark. _If he only knew the truth about my history with the agency._ I thought, but I decided to get back to the problem at hand. I point my index finger at the board with Fisk's pictures on it. "I want back on Clarence Fisk case. And I could help you." I said.

And to no surprise, Bates said. "Get a shave and a haircut. Dig up your uniform. You're on traffic duty until your hearing."

I chuckled as I contemplated my orders. "I'll get a haircut." I laughed as I got up to leave Bates office.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Hetty's office-

Kensi had a problem with my being fired, so she went to Hetty. Seeing as how she was told to talk to Hetty, Kensi decided to confront her on it. "It was like he was trying to get away from me as quickly as possible. Last time I felt this way was a very long time ago." Kensi said.

Hetty nodded her understanding of her agent's complaint. "Are you upset because Mr. Deeks was a good partner, or is there something more?" Hetty asked. Hetty watched as Kensi considered the question a moment. "And if it's something more, perhaps it's best that he's gone."

While Kensi was listening to her boss's words, her phone began to ring. Kensi looked at her phone and saw that it was and L.A.P.D. number. "Well it's an L.A.P.D. number. It's probably him." Kensi said, and then answered the phone. "Hello, this is Kensi."

It wasn't me on the line though. " _This is Lieutenant Bates, L.A.P.D. Can we meet?_ "

"Yes, I will call you later." Kensi said.

" _Good, I'll be waiting._ " Bates said, and then hung up.

"Okay, thanks. Bye." Kensi said, and then hung up. Kensi hesitated a moment before saying. "That was Lieutenant Bates. He wants to meet with me."

There was a moment of silence. Kensi and Hetty had a staring contest, but Kensi blinked and started to get up to leave.

"Miss Blye." Hetty said.

Kensi sat back down in the chair, and listened to what her boss had to say. "For the record, I let Mr. Deeks go because I had to. It's expected of me to do that. What do you think would happen if the six of us would have messed up? If I was the one in trouble, Director Vance would have sent someone out here to relieve me of duty until the hearing was over."

Kensi thought about Hetty's words, and then left.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

I find myself approaching a barber shop that I frequented back in the day before I joined the undercover unit. I take one look inside and see that the barbers are already with people. I let out a low whistle, and scratch my head. I was preparing to step through the door, when something caught my eye. I noticed the reflection of a blue sedan in the window across the street from.

 _Cop. I wonder—nope, never mind._ I thought, and then turned to walk down the street away from the barber shop. I start to pick up the pace, and then I looked back. I saw that vehicle started to follow me, so I took off running down the alley. When I turned into the alley, I saw a garbage bag that had some dirt and a couple of bricks. I slowed down to pick up a brick, and kept running. I looked over my right shoulder to see the cop had cut off a car to make the turn. I duck behind a corner, and wait for the car to stop before I make my move.

When the car stops, I act. I use the brick to break the driver's window, and then I pull the man out by his collar.

"Hey! Unh!" the man said, as I forced him down onto the ground, face down.

"Stay down." I said.

"Well, that was a little bit excessive." he said.

"Quinn?" I asked, when I recognized his voice. I turned the man over, and I was looking face to face with John Quinn.

"Been a long time, MacLeod. Apparently the class clown has been a naughty boy." he said.

 _He did see himself as top of the food chain._ I thought. "And the valedictorian still thinks he's smarter than everybody else." I countered.

"Heh." he chuckled.

"Just for the record, that was the worse tail in the history of law enforcement." I said.

Quinn laughed before saying. "I haven't seen you since Boyle died."

"That's because I haven't been around." I said.

"Well, you've been dabbling. Lawyer, wannabe fed, jack-of-all-trades, master of none." he said.

"In the meantime, you're getting paid to bust cops. How's that feel?" I asked.

"Internal Affairs. Someone's gotta do it." he said.

"Except for Steadman and Boyle" I said.

Quinn deflected, and got to the reason for coming to find me. "My boss sent me after you because he thought a familiar face might speed things up."

"And what things are those?" I asked.

"You shot an unarmed man this morning. You need all the help you can get." he said.

"Help from you. And what's the catch?" I asked.

"Fisk has a mole inside L.A.P.D. I need your help taking him down." he said. I stare blankly at Quinn waiting for to him continue. "It's Lieutenant Bates."

 _Plot twist._ I thought. "Bates." I said. We both shared a look before I say. "I didn't want that haircut anyway."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Market Street-

Sam and Callen followed Monica Lee to an abandoned warehouse that had two car parked behind it. Monica got out of her car, and then walked over to stand in front of a red sedan. Monica was on the phone while she was waiting.

"Anything from Kensi?" Callen asked.

"Yeah. The DA Angela Tully has disappeared." Sam said.

Callen took a picture, and then lowered the camera long enough to say. "All right, so Fisk's lawyer is our only lead." Callen tried to take the next picture from a different angle, while Sam asked. "Eric, can you access Monice Lee's cell-phone logs?"

" _Working on it, Sam._ " Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

"Whoa, look what I found." Nell said. Eric leaned over and looked at Nell's computer. "Fisk paid for Monica Lee's entire legal education."

"All right, let's confirm that." Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Market Street-

Monica Lee had been waiting for a good twenty minutes before she had a visitor. He was dressed in black from head to toe, and was wearing a black baseball cap.

"Okay, so who's this?" Sam asked.

Callen took a few pictures of Lee and the mysterious interloper. "Can you make out this guy's face?" Sam asked.

"Ah, it's a bad angle. I need him to turn around." Callen said.

The meeting didn't last long because the new person left as soon as he arrived. Heading into the warehouse.

"I've got him." Sam said, as he took off his necklace.

"Wait. She's watching his back." Callen said.

Monica remained by the car for a few moments. She had scanned the area looking for anyone who might be trouble.

"Eric pull up all traffic cams around this warehouse." Sam said.

" _Okay._ " Eric said.

"We need to ID a man wearing black leather jacket and baseball cap." Sam said.

" _Your mystery man knows the area. He's aware of the traffic cams and sticking to their blind spots._ " Eric said.

At that moment Monica decided to leave, but she was holding something in her hand, and was making another phone call.

"Wait. He passed something off to her, G" Sam said.

Callen took eight photos, and then checked them. "That's an L.A.P.D. file. File's marked "Confidential."

Sam leaned back so he could get a better angle on the photo.

" _Guys, Fisk paid for Monica Lee's entire law school tuition._ " Eric said.

When they found out that Fisk had Monica Lee bought and paid for, Sam and Callen shared a look.

"So if we grab the lawyer, all we've got is the file. Fisk owns her. She'll never flip on him." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

Kensi tried calling me, but all she got was my voice mail. " _Gone surfing. Call me later._ "

Kensi hung up the phone, and stared it for a few seconds with a hurt look on her face. Bates was sitting at the table.

"Not easy losing a partner, is it?" he asked.

Kensi tried to play off that it was no big deal that I was gone. "Partners come and go." she said walking to join Bates at the table.

"I wasn't always a cop, you know." he said, as Kensi sat down.

"You served as an intelligence officer for the Army. Conducting interrogations during Desert Storm." she said.

"And you just lied to my face." he said. All Bates saw was Kensi eyebrows move downward slightly. "Partners like MacLeod don't just come and go."

Kensi lowered her eyes and contemplated Bates words. "What's the story with you and him?" he asked.

Kensi looked up at Bates, he had a neutral look on his face. "Well, if he ever decides to call me back, I'll be sure to ask him." she said.

"Hmm." Bates said, and then shrugged it off like it was nothing.

There was a moment of silence before Kensi said. "You're testing me."

"Congratulations. You passed. I can't work with him if he's still loyal to N.C.I.S." he said, and then stood up from the table.

"Well, let me ask you a question." she said standing up as well. Bates stopped moving, and waited for Kensi to ask her question. "What do you know about a DA's investigator named Angela Tully?" she asked

Bates contemplated how he should answer the question. "She's one of the good guys. That's all that matters." he said.

Kensi lowered eyes, and thought about his words. She didn't tell him that the DA investigator was currently off the grid, but that didn't matter because Kensi was about to learn something interesting about her _former_ partner. "I always wanted to meet the woman that changed Deeks' mind." he said with a chuckle. "He swore he'd never work with a female partner again."

Bates was about to leave, but Kensi stepped in front of him and asked. "Why?"

"Well, if he ever calls you back, ask him that too." Bates said.

As Bates was walking away his phone started to ring. Kensi heard Bates answer his phone, but didn't get to listen because to his conversation because her phone started to ring. "What have you got?" Kensi asked.

" _Kens, I flagged Angela Tully's contacts. Two of them just received calls from the same hotel in Hollywood._ " Eric said.

"Which of her contacts got hits?" Kensi asked.

" _Her mother, in Oregon, and Lieutenant Bates of the L.A.P.D. The hotel's nearby. I'm sending you the address now._ " Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

On the street outside the precinct-

I was looking through a file that Quinn gave me. We were making our way back to the precinct. "Lieutenant Bates has been taking bribes for years. His big vendetta against Fisk is the perfect alibi." Quinn said.

"You always considered yourself the smartest guy in the room, but I think reaching on this one. This money could have come from anywhere. Stocks, investments. There's no way you can prove this came from Fisk." I said, closing the file.

"Well, that's where you come in." he said.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Bates has a personal laptop. When he's away from the precinct, go into his office and copy its data to a thumb drive. The Fisk connection has got to be on there." he said.

"Why don't you get a search warrant?" I asked.

"If I file for a warrant he'll burn everything up. Cover his tracks. Besides, when an Internal Affairs cop shows up, people watch his every move. Especially me." he said as he stopped walking.

"Heh. That's right you were not the most popular person in the precinct when I was still here, as I recall." I said.

"If I wanted to make friends, I would have become a birthday clown." he said.

"Yeah, well, that's something I never got about you. You had prep school, you had Harvard. You could have done anything you wanted with your life. Instead, you chose to do what? To be a cop." I said.

"There's no rules that say all good cops come from broken homes, MacLeod." he said.

"Umm… I don't know who you're talking to, but that doesn't describe." I said.

"Here. Unlock Bates' office and copy his hard drive. I'll stand lookout, let you know when he gets back to the precinct." Quinn said, handing me a keyring with a flash drive and key on it and then walked away.

I stare at the flash drive and key that Quinn handed me. "What could possible go wrong?" I said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Kensi found Angela Tully's room, and knocked on the door. Kensi waited a beat, and then picked the lock on the door. When the locked clicked, Kensi put the tool away and drew her gun. When Kensi opened the door she quietly said. "Housekeeping."

Kensi heard the shower, and then shut the door quietly. Kensi made her way into the hotel looking for Angela, or anybody she could be meeting here. A few seconds later, Kensi heard the shower stop. She got behind the wardrobe, and waited for the person to come out of the shower. Kensi peeked around the corner with her gun drawn.

As the woman walked out of the bathroom. Kensi said. "Federal agent."

The woman turned around and let out a surprised gasp. Kensi recognized Angela Tully from her photo. "I'm with N.C.I.S. I'm taking you into custody." Kensi said.

Angela realized that the jig was up. "Used to be a girl could go off the grid for twenty-four and get away with. Of course you were in kindergarten at the time, I wouldn't expect you to remember that." Angela said.

"Fisk has a mole in the L.A.P.D., and you're the prime suspect. Explain your disappearance, please." Kensi said.

"Lieutenant Bates will vouch for me." Angela said.

"Are you sure?" Kensi asked, wondering why Angela would name Bates as here alibi.

"Yeah. He's one of the good guys." Angela said.

Both Bates and Angela used that same exact line. Kensi thought for a moment, and then realized why. "You're sleeping with him." Kensi said.

Angela had turned around for a moment, but when Kensi had figure out that Bates and Angela were in a relationship, Angela glanced at Kensi momentarily. "Can you put the gun away so we can talk like civilized women?" Angela asked.

Kensi glared at Angela for a moment, and then pointed her gun away from Angela and held her other hand up showing she had nothing in it. As she was holstering her gun. Kensi said. "I need to know why you're hiding out, Miss Tully."

"Call me Angela, or I'm going to start feeling my age and get to be even more of a pain in the ass." Angela said.

Kensi had no come back, so she remained quiet.

"I had to break off a relationship to be with Bates." Angela said, after taking a seat.

There was moment silence before either woman spoke. Kensi thought that Angela felt guilty about her love life at the moment.

"I'm not judging you." Kensi said.

"Ha, ha. No, you just wanna end up like me in twenty years. I—" Angela begun, but cut herself off. Angela gathered her thoughts before continuing. "I'm here because of the breakup. My ex is too young, but on the other hand Bates wants a family now, and I don't know what I want. I just wanted to disappear for a little while and take a break from both them."

"Well, you're still a suspect, and as of now, so is Lieutenant Bates. Okay." Kensi said.

Kensi paused briefly as she let Angela process what she just heard. Then Kensi continued. "This is what we're gonna do. I'm gonna let you stay here, but that's gonna mean a full surveillance package: Phones monitored, agents on the premises."

Angela had no come back, but was glad that she wasn't being cuffed. "The glamorous life of a woman in law enforcement, right?"

"It's what I have to do, Angela." Kensi said.

Angela didn't want this, but she conceded.


	39. The Debt Part II

L.A.P.D. precinct-

The elevator door opened, and two women stepped off first as I followed behind them. I walked down the hall for a moment and then stopped. I try to psyche myself up for what I'm about to do. I hear someone greet me in passing. I nod back, and then stare at the door I stopped next to. Office ten seventeen. I unlock Bates office with the key that Quinn gave me, open and shut the door quietly. I put on a pair of gloves that I pulled out of my pocket. I used the gloves to open the door. I didn't want to leave any prints behind: either on the door, or while I'm copying the computer. I walk over to the computer, and open the lid.

"Okay. Okay." I say as I plug the flash drive into the lap top. The computer boots up, and the flash drive starts copying all the files on the computer.

"All right." I said.

The copying had been going for a few seconds when I heard chattering out in the hall. Then I felt my phone buzzing. It was a message from Quinn that read that Bates had come back, and that I need to get of there. I saw that the copying was about half done when I decided it might be a good idea to prepare to run once the download finish.

"Come on." I said, willing the copying to finish faster.

A few seconds later I heard talking in the hall. Somebody asking Bates about the informant, and if there information was good.

"Come on. Come on." I said.

The copying finished just then, and I pulled out the flash drive and looked for a way out. I can't hide in the room. I'm not exactly sure when Bates will be leaving, and he is going to be entering very shortly. So I decide to open the window and climb out on the ledge. "Ahh." I said when I got out on to the ledge.

I pulled one glove off, and lost it as I started to pull the other one off. "Oh, yeah, right." I said.

I was building up the courage to start moving from my position, when my phone started ringing.

"Oh you got to be kidding me." I said. I checked the ID and saw that it was Bates. _Wonderful._ I thought. "God." I said before answering. "Uh, hey. Bates, what's up?"

" _You're in trouble._ " he said.

"I got be honest, given the circumstances, you're gonna have to be more specific" I said.

" _Your ex-partner from N.C.I.S. is gigantically pissed at you. And that's one woman I would not cross._ " he said.

 _Wait. What?_ Were the words that crossed my mind when Bates mention that he saw Kensi. "Wait a minute. You, you talked to Kensi?" I asked, and then put the phone in my mouth as I decided to move to the next window and got off this ledge.

" _Forget about her. I'm bringing you back into Fisk case. Cleared it with the chief. Give me the N.C.I.S. intel and you're back in play. Got that_?" he asked.

"Eh? Okay." I said.

" _You hear me?_ " he asked.

"Uh-huh." I said. The window was unlocked and open.

" _MacLeod?_ " he said.

I dove through the window head first. "Uh, ugh." I said, the phone still in my mouth. Bates heard me groaning, and he definitely heard me crashing to the floor.

" _MacLeod? Everything okay?_ " he asked.

"Yeah. Yes, sir. Everything's—Everything is fine." I said, trying to catch my breath.

" _And one last thing. I really hope you're not lying to me, kid. Because if you get in the way of me taking down Fisk, I'll kill you._ " Bates said.

 _You wish._ I thought. "I got it." I said. I ended the call and tossed my phone on the floor.

After I catch my breath I make my way back out onto the street, and wait for Quinn. I didn't have to wait long for him to show.

"Let me ask you something? If Bates finds out I turned on him, you gonna back me up?" I asked when Quinn stopped in front of me.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" he asked.

"Tch. Are you kidding me? You don't exactly inspire trust" I said.

Quinn chuckles and then says. "Maybe I'm trying to change that."

 _Yeah, right._ I thought, but I produce the thumb that he wanted. Quinn takes it, and walks away. I don't know why, but for some reason I'm getting a bad vibe from Quinn.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Kensi asked Nell to get some information earlier that day, but Nell never got back to her. So Kensi went looking for Nell to get the file. Kensi found Nell on the balcony.

"Hey, Nell. Whatever happened to that file I asked you for? The one on the Aryan Lowrider that Deeks shot at the park." Kensi said.

"Oh, right. Um, I'm sorry, I guess I forgot." Nell said.

"You never forget, Nell." Kensi said, realizing that something was wrong.

"Mm, yeah. I told them this wouldn't work." Nell said.

Over in Ops, Eric was explaining to Callen and Sam the phone logs he pulled up on Monica Lee. "Right after you left Monica Lee's office, she called a pay phone located two blocks away from the L.A.P.D. I'm seeing a dozen other incoming calls to her PDA over the past few days, all from pay phones within walking distance of the same area." Eric said, and then looked up at Sam and Callen.

"So the mole's definitely a cop or someone works closely with them." Callen said.

"And he's making life way too easy for Fisk. If we don't find him, that RDX is as good as gone." Sam said.

The three men did not hear the door open, or see an extremely pissed walk into Ops. "You kept me in the dark!" Kensi exclaimed.

Callen and Sam looked at Kensi wondering how she figured it out. Callen looked at Sam, and then figured it out. Callen had a slight grin on his face as he asked. "Please tell me you didn't water board Nell?"

The three men can see the anger written all over Kensi face when she started talking. "The guy Deeks killed, he isn't dead. He's an undercover N.C.I.S. agent working out of D.C., who, in fact, just landed in Dulles Airport alive and well. You stuck fake tattoos on him and made me believe that my partner shot an unarmed man. Why would you do that?" Kensi asked.

"Had to be convincing for L.A.P.D. and Bates, or else they never would've taken Deeks back from us." Sam said.

Kensi was about to say something, but she took a deep breath and looked at Callen to see if everything Sam said was true. Callen had a straight face, which was usual for him, but Kensi could tell that Sam was telling the truth. Nell had entered Ops at this time.

"Sorry, guys." Nell said.

"The woman Deeks rescued is also one of our." Callen said.

"Whole thing was a setup." Sam said.

"That is why you stationed me and Deeks so far away from Fisk and the Aryans. The op this morning wasn't about them. It was about your ruse." Kensi said. She looked at her senior agents for any denial, which they did not. Kensi continued. "I knew something was off. I knew it."

"We suspect Fisk had a mole. It was a ploy to force Bates to cut ties and take Deeks back from us." Callen said.

Kensi let Callen's word sink in for a second. "Do you guy have any idea what I've been through today?" Kensi asked.

"It was Hetty's call, Kensi." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

Hetty was already waiting for when I got to the boatshed. As soon as I sat down she handed me a photo. "This the man who provided Fisk's lawyer with L.A.P.D. files." Hetty said.

One look at that the photo and we I knew we had nothing. "It's a black leather jacket and baseball cap. I mean this could be anybody." I said.

At that moment my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller Id and said to Hetty. "It's Bates." I answered the phone. "Yeah?"

" _MacLeod, can you talk?_ " he asked.

"Yeah." I said.

" _An off-the-books raid goes down in an hour. No chance of a leak this time._ " he said.

"Okay." I said.

" _Get back here._ " he said.

"Yeah, I'm on my way." I said, and then ended the call. "This just got interesting. Bates got a tip that Fisk and the Aryans are meeting today. He setup an off-the-books raid. He waited until right now to announce it to lessen the chance of a leak."

"I'll inform Mr. Callen." she said.

As Hetty was saying that she was going to tell Callen about the raid, all I could think about was seeing Kensi again and how pissed she was going to be. "How's Kensi?" I asked.

"Your partner's fine, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Junkyard-

I watched as Bates got out the back of sprinter vehicle, and made his way over to his police vehicle. " _When the Aryans show up for the deal, we move in. And remember Clarence Fisk is mine._ " Bates said in his radio.

"Roger that, lieutenant." I said.

Elsewhere, Callen and Sam were in the challenger waiting for the festivities to start. "Eric inform L.A.P.D. we're here, but they're running the show" Callen said.

" _You got it._ " Eric said.

"If Bates is the mole how's he gonna play this?" Sam asked.

"We'll find out soon enough. Here comes Mr. Swagger himself." Callen said.

I wondering what was going on in Bates car, so I grab a pair of binoculars to get a better view of what he was doing. Just as I lift the binoculars to my face, my senses go off. I'm about to receive company, but Bates is doing something suspicious. The car door opens, and I act all surprise. I look in the rearview mirror to see Kensi get and she shuts the door as she gives me a death stare. We lock eyes for a time, which was only a couple seconds, but I swear it felt like an eternity. That glare reminds me of Cortana, and I fight the urge to jump in back and kiss her. But instead I take this moment to crack a joke.

"Anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you're homicidally angry?" I asked.

"I'm not angry. In fact, I could slice your jugular vein eleven different ways from and I wouldn't lose my temper." Kensi said.

 _Okay. She's upset. I can work with that._ I thought. "Just for reference that's not how you kill me." I said.

"No, but I would enjoy it." Kensi said.

 _Awesome._ I thought. "All right." I said. There was a moment of silence before I decide to apologize. "Well, I'm sorry that I had to lie to you. I was protecting you." I said.

"You were protecting me?" she asked.

"Us." I continued.

"Us?" she asked.

"Our, our thing?" I said.

"Whoa. Thing. What thing?" she asked, dumbfounded.

There was a moment of silence as I regrouped my thoughts. _I want to have a passionate love relationship with Kensi, and the best way I could to describe is to call it a "thing?" Man, I really have lost me edge._ I thought.

"Uh… Can we not talk about this right now? I just—Maybe we could do it over drinks or something." I said.

 _What is Bates doing?_ I thought as I see Bates moving around in his vehicle.

"No, I have plans." she said.

"Well—" I began.

"Every night for the rest of my life." she cut me off.

I grinned to myself, but raised the binoculars to get a better look at what Bates was doing. I lift the binoculars up just in time to see Bates put on hat that looks like a baseball cap. From this distance the hat looks black. "What the hell's Bates doing?" I asked.

"Isn't he leading the raid?" she asked.

"No." I said as Kensi was crawling into the front seat, and then I realize what Bates was wearing. I grab the photo from the sun visor and show it to Kensi. "Black leather jacket and a baseball cap." I said. There was a moment of silence before I stated the obvious. "Bates really is the mole."

I saw Kensi out the corner of my eye look at me with sympathy. We both it's not easy having to take down a dirty coworker. At that moment my phone rang. Kensi looked at it first, and then I did. I saw that it was Quinn on the other end. "What's up Quinn?" I asked.

" _You got eyes on Bates?_ " he asked.

"Yes, I do." I said.

" _I tapped his phone. He just got a call from Fisk's lawyer. They're about to meet at a red sedan outside an abandoned warehouse on Market Street. Make sure you stay close. We need your testimony to take him down. I'll be there to make the arrest with you_." he said.

I roll my eyes as I watch Bates drive off, but I rewarded with something I didn't know when I asked. "What about the raid on Fisk?"

" _What raid?_ " Quinn asks.

Neither Kensi nor I missed this. I notice Kensi look down at the phone, and then at me. "Never mind, I'm on it." I said, and hung up the phone.

As I'm starting up the car to follow Bates, I hear Kensi open her line to Callen and Sam. "Guys, I'm with Deeks. Bates is meeting Fisk lawyer. We're going in after him." Kensi said.

Back at the challenger Callen starts talking. "We don't even know who we can trust in L.A.P.D. We go with Kensi and Deeks, we risk letting Fisk and the RDX get away." Callen said.

"Kensi and Deeks have Bates under control. Handling Fisk and the RDX comes down to us." Sam said.

Callen didn't miss the chance to state the obvious problem that the partners were facing. "You mean us against Fisk, his bodyguards, a crew of neo-Nazis, and an L.A.P.D SWAT team that may or may not be on our side?"

"Gotta love Tuesdays." Sam said.

Callen gave Sam a look that said "Shut up."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Market Street-

Bates pulled in and gets out of his car and goes and waits next to two cars that were already there. I pull up next to a semitrailer that hasn't been use in a few years. Kensi and I get out of my car, and shut the doors quietly as not to tip off Bates that we were there. We stand next to my car in silence. Kensi was waiting for me to call the shots.

"I'm going to get closer." I said.

"Okay, I'll check the perimeter, come in after you." Kensi said. As I'm walking away, Kensi heard Eric say. " _Kensi, Callen and Sam are waiting for the Aryans to arrive at Fisk's location._ "

I crouch down, and walk slowly to the trailer that allows me to listen and watch Bates. Kensi had spotted a suv when she rounded the corner of the building. Inside on the passage seat she saw a leather coat and leather gloves. Kensi knew something was off, so she walked around to the front and took a picture of the license plate and sent it to Eric, and called him.

" _Yo._ " Eric said.

"Hey, Eric, it's me. I need an ID on the license plate I just sent you." Kensi said.

" _The car's registered to John Quinn._ " Eric said.

When Kensi heard that the owner of the suv was John Quinn, she realized who the real mole was. "Thanks." Kensi said, and then hung up

Kensi called my cell phone to warn me that John Quinn was the mole, and that he was in the area. "Ah. Deeks, come on, come on, come on." willing me to answer the phone. My phone rang once, and then my answering machine picked up. Kensi killed the line, and then went to back to the car.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

"Quinn had an elite education from the age of ten onwards. Just like Monica Lee, he had hundreds of thousands of dollars in private school and college tuition bought and paid for by an obscure shell corporation owned by Clarence Fisk." Nell said.

Nell looked at Eric when she finished speaking, and from the look on his face the partners had made the connection who Fisk mole was inside the L.A.P.D.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Junkyard-

Callen spotted the truck that the Aryans were riding in. "Here come our Aryan friends to finish the deal they started." Callen said.

Over the radio they heard Kensi say " _Guys, Quinn is the mole._ "

The partner's share a look, but didn't respond. Because as the men in the junkyard were prepping to finish the deal, out on the street they saw the SWAT van drive by.

"SWAT's going in." Sam said. Sam looked over at Callen, and then started the engine. Sam put the car in drive and followed SWAT. As Sam was pulling in behind SWAT, Callen said over the radio. "Kensi, we're going after Fisk. You stay with Deeks."

As Sam was pulling the challenger to a stop, the two men could hear a police helicopter overhead. It didn't matter though because before either of them could get away from the challenger they heard Fisk shout "Raid!"

The two groups of men spilt looking for cover. The fire fight last for a good five minutes before Callen saw Fisk run into one of the buildings. "He just went into that building." Callen said, and went after Fisk.

Sam cover for his partner, and then followed him. The building they went into was a garage with a couple of cars in the bay. An Aryan popped up from behind a truck, and Callen put two bullets in his chest before he could fire. Sam walked towards a stack of pallets that had a big case on it. Before he could look in the case, Fisk came around the corner. Before Fisk even registered Sam as a threat, Sam had slammed his forearm into Fisk's jaw knocking to the ground. While Fisk was getting over the shock of being hit, Sam asked. "Where's your swagger now?"

Fisk was upset that he got caught, but was about to get a very big surprise.

Sam opened the case and saw it filled with the RDX. "This is what we've been looking for." Sam said, and then he saw a few of the bricks were missing. "Okay, we got a problem, G. This was supposed to have twenty bricks of RDX here. There's only seventeen." Sam said, looking at Fisk.

Fisk was shocked to hear three bricks were missing. "It should be there. I swear. I'm willing to cut a deal. Only other person who had access to this building was John Quinn. If the RDX is missing, it's with him." Fisk said.

Callen heard a door behind him opening, and three SWAT officers walk in.

"Kensi, where is Deeks?" Callen asked over the radio, and then left the building.

"Secure him." Sam said to the officer.

"Yes, sir." the officer said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

I moved away from the trailer and decided to confront Bates, gun drawn in a low ready position. As I was moving in I heard Bates leave a message on Quinn's answering machine.

"Quinn, its Bates. You'd better not be wasting my time. Call me." Bates said and then ended the call.

It was at that moment I realized that Quinn had played me. "Bates." I said.

Bates saw me, and drew his gun. I raised one him to signify that I'm not an enemy.

"You working for Fisk?" he asked.

"No." I said.

Bates phone started ringing again. He looked at and saw that it was Quinn. "Don't move. That's Quinn." he said.

"Bates, he's playing us against each other, all right? He's trying to frame us as the guys that are working for Fisk." I said.

"The mole's meeting Fisk Lawyer nearby. Quinn and I are supposed to rendezvous at this red sedan and make the bust together." he said.

I keep my hand out, as I was shaking my head no. "I'm not lying to you Bates." I said.

There was a few seconds before Bates lowered his gun and said. "I believe you."

"Quinn wanted us here for a reason." I said.

At that moment I heard a car pull up, and the doors open and shut. Back by the car, Kensi was watching the whole thing go down but when Callen and Sam pull in, she hears Callen say as he's approaching. "Kensi, Quinn's got three bricks of RDX."

I takes mere seconds to realize where it's at. "It's the red sedan." Kensi said, and then ran out to warn us. "Deeks! The car is rigged!"

"Kensi!" Callen yelled.

"Go!" I shout to Bates.

The three of us barely clearly the blast radius before the car blows. Soon as the dust clears I know that Quinn has been spotted because Callen and Sam take off after him.

Sam and Callen turn the corner to see Quinn approaching his suv. As they were approaching, Callen fired one round and took out the back tire. Sam fired two round and took out the front tire. Quinn turned on the two men with his gun drawn. Sam kept his gun trained on Quinn, but put his other hand out to keep Quinn from doing anything rash.

"You don't wanna do this. Put the gun down. You got a lot to live. Think about your family." Sam warned Quinn. Callen was prepared to shoot Quinn if he had to.

"You know what I do, every day. My parents mostly. Problem is I never knew them. They were gunned down in front of me when I was a kid. I never knew them, they never knew me. No one… No one knew me. Mom and Dad set me up with a free ride. But on graduation day, I met a man named Fisk. Free ride came from him. Now I owed him a debt. What was I supposed to do?" Quinn asked.

"Put own the gun." Callen ordered.

"If I didn't become a cop, his cop, he'd kill me. Fisk never game me a choice. So who's to blame here, him or me?" Quinn asked.

Sam and Callen were feeling a little sorry for Quinn. Quinn was robbed of his life, maybe even his parents, by Fisk and now they just want to get him out alive. Callen and Sam slipped their fingers in the trigger guard when Quin changed his line of fire but Sam turned to see me arrive. "MacLeod—" Quinn warned.

Callen and Sam backed off, but kept their guns trained on Quinn. "Listen. I know you think it's too late, but it's not. All right, you put the gun down, you turn yourself in, and we take down Fisk together." I said.

"Oh, look at you, MacLeod, such a hero." Quinn said.

"This is over man." I said.

Quinn hesitated a moment. I sensed that Bates and Kensi finally joined the party. "Put it down." I said.

"You know, funny thing is, I was gonna come clean. I found someone who'd listen to me. Heh. Angela Tully. I loved her. Then I found about her and Bates. Guess she didn't know how badly I wanted her back. Thought I could get rid of Bates and square things with Fisk at the same time." Quinn said.

I noticed that Quinn had lowered gaze for a moment. "Okay. We got plenty of time to talk about that, and I'm on your side. You just gotta put it down." I said.

"I'm sorry, MacLeod." Quinn said.

I wasn't exactly sure what he was saying that for, but I wasn't about to find out. I reach out and redirect Quinn's gun off of me, and punch in face. I grab Quinn's coat and force him back against his suv, as Kensi ran up and grabbed Quinn's gun.

Quinn chuckled briefly before saying. "I guess I'm in you debt now."

"You don't owe me anything." I said.

I turned Quinn over to Callen, and then turned to look off in the distance.

"You have a home with N.C.I.S. I see that now." Bates said, after Callen and Sam walked away.

"You're just now seeing that." I said, turning to face Bates.

"You're still one of mine. Remind that tea-sipping Svengali that. Just don't let that little ninja lady come after me, all right?" Bates said.

 _Not happening._ I thought as Bates walked away.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: armory-

Hetty had found Kensi in the armory. Hetty could sense the emotions rolling off of her agent when Kensi saw her approaching.

"You knew Bates was gonna come to me to verify Deeks' split with us was real." Kensi said to Hetty not even bothering to hide the accusatory tone in her voice.

Hetty had an iron clad poker face, but did not make any attempts to deny it. When Kensi was satisfied she continued. "You know, the last time I felt so angry and so powerless was when I was fifteen."

"And the military police informed you they had no answers about your father's death." Hetty said. Hetty pause briefly before continuing. "That's why I knew you were the one to back up Deeks' cover story."

Kensi took a deep breath and looked away from Hetty. Hetty could get a sense of betrayal rolling off of Kensi in waves. "I couldn't take any risks." Hetty said. Kensi nodded her understanding of the whole thing, but still felt a little raw. "I'm in your debt, Kensi." Hetty said.

Kensi raised her eyebrows at Hetty and mulled it over for few seconds. "Okay. I'll be cashing it in one day." Kensi said, and then left to come find me.

"A quick question." Kensi said before she got to the exit.

Hetty raised her chin to acknowledge that she was listening.

"Why does L.A.P.D. keeping calling Deeks by his cover name?" Kensi asked.

"The next time you two have a beer, ask him about that." Hetty said, and then turned to leave.

Out in the sitting area off from the bullpen, Sam, Callen and myself are surrounded by my stuff. I'm intrigued that Callen hasn't figured how some people have swagger, and others don't.

"So not a gold Rolex?" Callen asked.

"You still don't get it." Sam said.

"Or a cool car?" Callen asked.

"It's more complicated than that, G." Sam said.

Callen thought about what happened earlier to, and then asked. "Sprinting through burning car-bomb debris wearing designer clothes to take down a bad guy?" Callen asked.

"Swagger." Sam conceded.

They both nodded their heads, and then Callen said. "Swagger."

"Bates said that you swore off female partners. Is that true?" Kensi asked when she entered the sitting area.

I could have easily said that my last three partners were killed in the line of duty, but I wasn't really up for discussing that right now. "That particular story is one I don't want to discuss unless tequila is on table." I said.

Sam and Callen stared at me dumbfounded. "What?" I asked.

"That's not an answer." Kensi said.

"Callen. Sam. Back me up here." I said.

"Game's looking." Callen said.

"Game recognizes nothing." Sam said.

"What do you boys know about game? You haven't been alive long enough for that." I said. I could sense Hetty walking nearby. "Hetty. Hetty, please tell me you have advice for this?" I asked.

"Haters gonna hate." Hetty said, and then walked away.

"That's it. I'm done for the day." I said, not even bothering to clean up my mess. I grab my bag and leave.

"Hey! You didn't answer my question." Kensi said, as she grabbed her bag and ran after me.


	40. Visiting and Leaving the Past Behind

As I'm getting into my car, I hear Kensi yell out. "Deeks, wait!"

I roll my eyes, but I don't shut my door. As Kensi is approaching I ask. "What?"

"Please. I have to know. Why did you swear off female partners?" she asked.

"Do we have to do this tonight?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm a female, yet you're still working with me." She said.

"I work with you because Hetty is making me." I said.

"That doesn't explain why you refuse to work with a female partner before me." She said.

"UGH! FINE!" I exclaimed. "My place! now!"

"See you there." Kensi said, and then walked over to her vehicle.

I shut the door, pull out of the OPS parking garage, and the drive to my apartment. I contemplate the coming conversation, which if I'm honest, I knew was going to happen someday. I guess it's better to get over with now, so we can back to being partners. I check my mirrors, and spot Kensi a few cars back. I'm not exactly sure what she is doing hanging that far back, but I'm not worried about that. A few minutes later, I pull into my apartment complex and Kensi is right behind me. _Well that was fast._ I thought.

I park my car, get out, arm it and then make my way in. As I'm approaching the walkway leading to complex, Kensi caught up to me.

"I asked Hetty about L.A.P.D still calling you by your cover name, but she told me to ask you." she said.

"Ah. That fiasco. I have some good tequila that I got from a friend a few months ago. This is good as any time to break out it." I said.

When we get to my apartment, I unlock the door and drop my bag on the couch. Kensi hung her bag on the door knob. I grabbed Monty's leash, who was currently being petted by Kensi. "Come on Monty." I said

Kensi followed us outside, but was respectful not to ask about my not wanting to work with women, or the fact that L.A.P.D. calls me by MacLeod. When we head back inside, Kensi made her way to my liquor cabinet, while I grabbed a couple of glasses.

"When did you get this?" Kensi asked.

I turned to see that she had found the tequila that Kip gave me two months ago. "That was the tequila that I got a few months ago." I said.

"And you didn't share? How could you?" she accused me of holding out.

"I thought you were more of a whiskey girl." I said.

"Normally, I am." she said.

"I was planning on taking it to the Christmas party next month, but it looks like I will be breaking it out tonight." I said.

I put the glasses on the table as Kensi was opening the bottle. Kensi filled our glasses halfway. We each take a few sips before I ask. "Which do you want to hear about first?"

"I'm not sure. I really wanna know why you refuse to work with women." she said.

"Correction: woman partners." I said and then walked over to the couch, and she followed.

Kensi waved me off, but continued. "Or do I want to know why L.A.P.D. keeps calling you by your cover name."

"Ashono MacLeod isn't exactly a cover name." I said, as we both sat on the couch. I placed the tequila on the coffee table.

"Really. I'll start there. Why does L.A.P.D. keep calling by Ashono MacLeod?" she asked.

I down my glass, and then refill it. "That particular story started back in two thousand four." I said, trying to remember when that particular fiasco began.

"That was seven years ago. What happened then?" Kensi asked.

"I was with the agency from its creation in nineteen forty-seven. In two thousand four, my application for N.C.I.S. had been processed." I said.

"Okay. You joined N.C.I.S. seven years ago, but why hasn't anybody heard of you before two thousand nine?" she asked.

"That's because I was undercover in L.A.P.D. for five years." I said.

"Why would you be undercover in L.A.P.D. for?" she asked

We both took a sip of our drinks, and then I said. "I was sent to L.A.P.D. while Office of Special Projects was being created."

"So, what? They dumped you in L.A.P.D. until everything was setup?" she asked.

"That was the plan." I said.

There was a moment of silence, where we both took a sip before Kensi continued. "That doesn't make any sense. Hetty knows you very well. What happened?"

"When the files transferred from Macy to Hetty, I was forgotten about." I said.

"Really? N.C.I.S. just… abandoned you." she said.

"More or less." I said.

Kensi just stared at me for a moment. Then we took another sip of our drinks. Kensi thought about what I just said. How I was abandoned by N.C.I.S. "Why did you even bother transferring here after you had been forgotten about?" she asked.

"I'm one of the most dangerous people alive. You know darn well Hetty would be keeping an eye on me." I said.

"So you're tool for Hetty to use?" she asked.

"You're a tool, too. Plus, Cypher, that terrorist organization I told you about, had infiltrated the C.I.A." I said. "But Hetty has something I want, and I have something she wants.

"What were you supposed to do while you were there?" she asked.

"I was supposed give N.C.I.S. a heads up whenever a sailor or a marine had being picked up by L.A.P.D., but that went sideways in a hurry." I said.

"How?" she asked.

"After a while, N.C.I.S. was hearing about military members being in trouble, but it wasn't from me." I said.

"So…" she began.

"I was getting paid by N.C.I. play a cop." I said.

"I don't get it. N.C.I.S. just left you there. What was their plan of bringing you back?" she asked.

"Until Hetty, there wasn't one. I was just a file in an operations managers draw." I said.

We took another sip of our drink. "You didn't exist, except on paper." she said.

I nodded my head, and I could see that this isn't what Kensi wanted to hear. _She asked for it._ I thought. The conversation lulled for a bit, and we shot the breeze for a while. I looked at the clock and saw that it was ten o'clock. "I'm going to refill my drink. While I'm doing that, you're going to tell me why you refused to have a female partner before coming to N.C.I.S." she said.

"This is a pretty rough subject because I was required to work with three female partners, and all of them are dead." I said.

Kensi stopped mid sip, and tried to understand what she heard. "You were undercover, and you still had partners." she said.

"I still answered to Bates, but I was required to work with other departments." I said.

"Was it hard?" she asked.

"How so?" I asked

"You don't see women as damsels in distress, but it must have hurt really badly when they died and there was nothing you could do to save them." she said.

I nodded my head as I took a sip. "And these women were competent at their jobs as well, they just let their hearts get the better of them." I said.

"They let their hearts get the better of them, but you harbored no ill will towards any these women?" she asked.

"Really? I have a female partner, who I have showed no malice towards, and you're going to ask if I'm sexist." I said.

"I'm sorry, but we grew in two different era." she said in her defense.

"Okay, but just barely." I said.

"Just barely?" she asked.

"Natalya." I said.

"That doesn't count." she said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I'm Natalya's twin, that's why." she said.

"Okay, full disclosure: I flirted with other women to get under your skin. Nothing more, nothing less." I said.

"How many dates have you gone on?" she asked.

"Umm… last date I had was… last date was… I don't remember my last date. Or last time I was romantically attached to someone. Are you asking about either of those?" I asked

"Either." she said.

"Last _serious_ relationship that I can remember was Bella." I said.

"Handsome man like you, not playing the field. I doubt it." she said.

"Being immortal is a curse not a gift." I said.

"How?" she asked.

"I've been alive for over three thousand years, but it's been a lonely three thousand years." I said.

"Okay." she said.

"I'm alive, but my family and loved ones are dead. The village that I grew up is gone. There is nothing left of it. I'm the only thing that exists from that bygone era." I said.

We took another sip of our drinks, and then I looked at the clock, it was approaching midnight. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

Kensi took quick stock, and realized that she was toasted. "Tequila usually goes to my head." she said, standing up.

One look and I know she was done. "You're can crash here." I said.

Kensi looked at me. "Where?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes and then said. "Don't be so stupid. I'm taking the couch."

"Deeks, I can't sleep in your bed." she said.

"I won't be a fool and make you sleep on the couch, or let you drive home." I said.

"I don't have any clothes." she said.

"You're staying here, and that's it." I said.

Kensi rolled her eyes, finished her drink and place the glass on the table and then head to my bathroom. As Kensi was stepped into the bathroom, I called out. " _I have a spare toothbrush under the sink that hasn't been opened._ "

"Do you always keep an extra toothbrush on hand for situations like this?" she asked.

" _Yeah._ " I said.

"Do you have a lot of women over?" she asked.

" _That spare brush is for whoever needs it at the time._ " I said.

"You're a weirdo." she said.

" _Whatever._ " I said.

Kensi grabbed the toothbrush, opened it, and then cleaned her teeth. After Kensi finished in the bathroom, she went back to see how the couch was positioned and saw that it didn't have a view of the hall. "Night." Kensi said.

"Night." I said, messing around in the kitchen.

Kensi walked down the hall, entered my room, and closed the door. To say that she was weirded out to be sleeping in my bed while I was in the living room would be an understatement. A little weirded out, and a little disappointed. _Got respect the pace._ Kensi thought. Though if she as honest, Kensi felt… respected. She was not in her right mind, and I was a very handsome man. Kensi felt special that I wasn't trying to take advantage her in her drunken state. _Then again, Deeks is drunk too._ Kensi thought.

Kensi found a chair, and pulled it over to the right side of the bed. When she was satisfied that the chair was in a good position, Kensi pulled the ties out of her hair. Before Kensi could go any further she heard me knocking at my door.

"Come in." Kensi said.

I opened the door, and then placed her bag on the ground. "Just to be safe." I said.

I bow to Kensi, and then shut the door. Kensi walked over to get her bag, and then walked back over to the bed. Kensi pulled her gun out, checked to see the chamber indicator, and then placed the gun on the nightstand. Kensi slowly undressed, stating with her shoes. Kensi usually let her clothes fall anywhere, but she wasn't sure if she was going to have to make a quick getaway later. She debated sleeping with at least her bra and panties on, but decide against that. Kensi pulled the sheet and blanket back, and then got in. When Kensi covered herself, she immediately felt relaxed and ready to fall asleep. Tequila usually helps her to relax at night, but my bedding was making Kensi fall asleep a lot faster than she usually does. Kensi doesn't drink regularly, she knows her limits, but she really is enjoying my bedding right now…

Come morning, Kensi begins to rouse because she smells the coffee that I was brewing. Kensi slowly dresses, missing my bed already. After she's dressed, Kensi grabbed her Sig, and placed it in her holster. When she was ready, Kensi exited my room and saw that I had ran and grabbed breakfast. Muffins, donuts, and fresh fruit. Kensi grabbed a couple pieces of fruit, and a donut. I had brought her a cup of coffee.

"What… uh… what are you doing?" she asked.

"What does is it look like? I'm serving breakfast." I said, dumbfounded.

"No. It's just that…" she began.

"I know. I usually don't, but I thought after all the tequila and listening to my ancient history I thought this would make up for it." I said.

"You didn't have to do all of this. I was the one who want to know about everything, remember." she said.

"Are you telling me that you don't like my hospitality?" I asked.

"Shut up." she said, glaring at me playfully as she took a sip of her coffee.

We eat in silence. Kensi decided to grab a muffin on her way out the door. After Kensi left, I went to get a shower and get ready for the day.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

A month later at the Christmas party. We were celebrating after closing a particularly weird case. College kids had gotten their hands on a machine that was capable of delivery and EMP blast. The only problem was the blast had the chance to wipe out the power grind, thus the state of California. Kensi talked about going to Hawaii over Christmas, so I bought her a gift to take with her. I was going to bring my tequila to the party, but I saw that barrel that Hetty had stashed and I knew that the tequila wasn't going to get touched.

"Deeks, what happened to the tequila?" Kensi asked.

"Deeks has a bottle of tequila. I thought you were a whiskey man?" Sam asked.

"I am a whiskey man. I got the tequila from an associate, but I think Hetty has something that we will enjoy a lot more." I said.

At that moment we heard grunting, and then Hetty said. "Ah! Ooh!"

Eric and Callen were already standing by Hetty waiting to hear what we were going to be drinking during the night's festivities. Sam, Kensi and myself walked over to join the others as Hetty said. "This is Theakston's Christmas Ale, flown all the way from Yorkshire, England, and brewed as it was in Charles Dickens' time."

Sam and Callen licked their lips, while Eric was fidgeting with his hands.

I just remember to update the group about Carlyle. "Carlyle got turned over to the L.A.P.D. about an hour ago."

"Not for long. We posted bail so he could spend time Christmas with his family." Hetty said.

"Really?" Callen asked.

"We felt he'd righted his wrong. Needless to say, with the events of the past day, there's a flood of interest in his work." Hetty said.

At that very moment, Nell decide to join the crowd. "Can't drink on an empty stomach." Nell said, and she had a platter of cookies. Hetty started handing out the drinks.

"Ooh." Kensi said.

The platter was filled with cookies in the shape of guns. "Sig Sauers and Glocks." Nell said.

"Amazing." Sam said, as he grabbed a cookie.

"Wait did you bake these in the microwave?" Kensi asked, as she grabbed a cookie.

"I actually reconfigured the burn room oven incinerator as convection oven." Nell said.

Eric walked away at this moment to grab something, but Kensi said just before taking a bite of her cookie. "Smart girl."

"Sam?" Eric said.

"Hmm?" Sam said.

"I got a little something for you." Eric said, and then revealed that he was able to get the toy that Sam's daughter wanted.

"How'd you find it?" Sam asked, taking the toy from Eric.

"Don't ask." Eric said.

Sam was excited that Eric came through for him. "You saved my ass." Sam said, and then pulled Eric in for a hug. Eric chuckled that he was able to help out his friend, but after the hug Eric was a little taken back by what happened.

It was at this time I decided to give Kensi her gift as well. "I actually got something for you too." I said, and then stepped over to the bull pen.

"For me?" Kensi asked.

"Yeah. It's a gift for the tropical sun. It's made by a woman in Venice for a very select clientele. It's hypoallergenic, made with organic coconut oil, shea butter and jojoba. So I thought that you would like it." I said, and then gave her the bottle of lotion.

Kensi was smiling ear to ear as she accepted the gift. "Wow. Thank you." Kensi said.

"Have fun on your trip." I said.

Callen walked up to Sam and said. "I may come by on Christmas. I wanna see what this little pony actually does."

Sam chuckled, and then partners touched their glasses together as in a toast to the idea. Over at the barrel, Eric was pouring a glass of ale for both Nell and himself when Hetty said. "That was very generous of you. I happen to know that you procured that winged little pony for yourself as Comic-Con last summer."

"You did?" Nell asked, shocked to hear how Eric got the toy. Eric turned to Nell, and he couldn't tell what the look on her face was.

"Mr. Beale has quite the collection of fantasy action-figure collection." Hetty said.

"Oh, you do?" Nell asked, impressed by the little tid-bit that she just heard.

Eric stuffed the rest of the cookie he had in his mouth and quickly said as he raised his glass. "A toast!" Nell had fallen just a little bit more for Eric.

"To friends and the family we have." Callen said.

Everybody nodded their head in acceptance of the toast. "Hear, hear." Sam said.

"Hear, hear." Everybody said, as they tapped the glasses together.

"Merry Christmas." Kensi said.

"Cheers." I said.

"Merry Christmas." Callen said.

"God bless us, every one." Hetty said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Rome, Italy: a few days later-

I made my way back to Rome. I wanted to see how much it has changes in three thousand years since I left, and I have to say I was impressed. I was scanning the crowd, and then I scanned the building tops. The last building I happen to scan was a clock tower, which brought back memories of my time with Bella. I remember the nights we spent up there making love to each other. I was walking the area when I came to a park. I pulled out the dagger that Bella had given me. I know Bella wouldn't approve, but its time I left my past behind. I remember that Bella loved the sea, and I remember a few times we went out on a boat, alone. There were more intimate moments that ensured while we were out there.

It was an hour's drive to the sea. It was a beautiful day, I remember a lot of days like this when I was last here. I remembered one particular spot that we always went to, a place that had a great view of the sea. I had to walk quite a ways, but unlike my village, natural structures rarely breakdown totally with the passage of time. And to my great pleasure, our spot was still there, and it hasn't really broken down much. I stared out over the sea, like we use to, but only for a moment. The activity lost its spark, since Bella is no longer here; then again, I was here to say good bye. I dug a hole in the sand, and look at the box. I opened the box and looked at the dagger one last time. I pulled the dagger from its sheath, and traced Bella's and my name. After I was finished, I sheathed the dagger and placed it in the box. I placed the box in the hole I dug, and refilled the hole.

 _Good-bye Bella, my love._ I thought, and then made my way back to the car, and then back to the airport.


	41. Blast from the Past Part I

Kensi was the last to get back, but we all were invited to Sam's place to try out the tequila that I got from Kip. Technically, Kensi and I had already opened the bottle. Sam and Callen were playing catch up. We didn't get drunk, but we did enjoy ourselves. At ten o'clock sharp, I called it for the night.

"Mind if I keep the tequila?" Sam asked.

"Be my guest. Whisky is more my style." I said, and then left.

The following day we got wind of a… I'm not exactly sure what it was. All I know is that it involved two men who were dirty. This Op went on for a few weeks. That was until we got an A.N.A. late one night.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Just before the A.N.A. came in-

The four of us were on a stake out at a hotel. Technically, Sam, Callen and I were on a stake out, while Kensi was inside keeping our guest entertained. Outside in the challenger, Sam was relaxing with his eyes closed listening to jazz music. Callen on the other hand, was getting antsy. And the music wasn't helping. Callen looked at Sam a few times, making sure he was a sleep, and then reached for the radio dial.

"You're not changing that." Sam said without opening his eyes.

"How can you listen to this?" Callen asked.

"Why can't you appreciate a little improvisational jazz?" Sam asked.

"Why can't they all play the same song?" Callen counted.

"It's called fusion." Sam said.

"Yeah. Confusion." Callen said looking out his window.

Before the conversation could continue, Callen's phone started beeping. It took Sam only a moment to recognize the beeping. "That's the Agent Needs Assistance alert." Sam said, wiping his eyes.

Callen checked his phone, and then said. "It's Hetty."

Sam turned the engine on, put the car in gear, and then pulled away from the curb. Inside, Kensi was getting dressed to go check on this distress signal.

"You're just gonna run out of here?" the man asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm on call." Kensi said.

"I thought you said you were a dental hygienist." he said.

"I am. It's a dental emergency. Oh. It's just, uh, teeth missing, tons of blood. I will call you." Kensi said, and then exited the room.

Outside in the parking lot, I was pulling up as Kensi exited the building. Kensi opened the door and asked. "Is this a legit?"

"It sounds like it." I said.

Kensi throws her purse in the back seat, not before smacking me in the forehead. "Ah." I said.

"Sorry." Kensi said getting in and closing the door.

I noticed that Kensi had missed a button when she was getting dressed, but I just motioned with my pinky as I said. "You, uh, missed a button."

Kensi looked down and saw what I was talking about. "Oh, well you heard the guy. He was this close from giving up his partner. I had him eating out of my hand. Heh, heh." Kensi chuckled as she finished buttoning up her shirt.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Just drive." Kensi said, as she was pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

"Uh-huh." I said, and then drove to the boatshed.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Eric was making his way up to Ops while he was on the phone with Callen.

" _What do we know, Eric?_ " Callen asked.

"Hetty activated her phone's distress code. I tried to reach her in case it was a false alarm, but she's not answering any of her numbers." Eric said.

Callen disconnected the call. As Eric was entering Ops, Nell was doling out orders to the support staff. "I want feeds from traffic and surveillance cam in a half mile radius for the past three hours." To Eric she said. "Signal's coming from the boatshed but someone disable our eyes inside."

"What about the Teleconference camera or her cell phone?" he asked

"Teleconference has been unplugged. This is her cell phone." she said. The screen that was supposed to be Hetty's phone was covered with static. "We're blind." Nell said.

"Hetty had a radiant heat grid wired into the walls and the ceilings of the boatshed, so thermal imaging is useless. We know her phones inside, we just don't know if she is." Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

"I walked the perimeter. I don't see any signs the place is booby-trapped." Sam said approaching Callen.

"How we doing on visual, Kensi?" Callen asked.

" _You should be seeing something right about now_." Kensi said to the team.

" _All right, we got her._ " Eric said.

"Anyone else?" Callen asked

" _Let me see._ " Kensi said.

A few seconds later, I said. " _We got a bogey under the stairs, and for some reason he looks familiar._ "

"How familiar?" Sam asked.

" _I've seen him before. Let's not leave out the fact that Hetty is sitting in there, and she isn't even tied to the chair._ " I said.

Sam and Callen shared a look, and then looked at the boatshed.

Callen decided to walk right up to the door. Callen opened the door, and looked in to see Hetty sitting on a chair in the middle of the main room. "Hetty? You okay?" Callen asked.

"Peachy." Hetty said.

Callen walked closer to Hetty keeping his wits about him. "Care to tell me what all this is all about?" Called asked.

"Ask him." Hetty said, nodding towards the stairs.

Callen looked to see the interloper step into the light. Callen almost crapped a brick. He looked like the man I killed on the oil rig last year.

"Special Agent G. Callen." the man said.

"Who are you?" Callen asked.

"The direct approach. You know, that's an interesting tactic, unless, of course, you walk directly into a trap." he said.

"Is that what this is?" Callen asked, moving away from Hetty.

"Could be." he said.

Callen approached the man, and started to realize that he was somebody else. "I know you." Callen said.

"Not nearly as well as I know you." he said.

"Shut up, Granger." I said flatly.

Granger looked up to see me and Kensi on the balcony. He turned to see Sam walk in gun drawn. "You know them too?" Callen asked.

"That's great because you brought your entire team with you. Unfortunately, it makes it so much easier to blow you all up." Granger said.

"Are we done here?" I asked, walking down the stairs. Kensi was behind me with her gun still drawn.

Granger made a sudden move, and Callen threw Granger to the floor. Callen started to reach from identification.

"You twitch, I shoot." Sam threaten.

"Is that a catch phrase?" Granger asked.

"Who are you?" Callen asked.

"His name Owen Granger. Some ex C.I.A. stooge that blew a bureaucrat back in Washington to get this position." I said.

"It's Assistant Director Owen Granger, and I'd watch your mouth Agent Deeks." Granger said.

"I told him this was a bad idea. But he's the boss." Hetty said, standing up from the chair. Hetty looked at us. Sam, Callen and Kensi were staring at Hetty, while Granger and I were in a staring contest. With that Hetty took her leave.

Granger picked himself up off the floor, and then looked at Callen.

"What the hell was all this about?" Callen asked.

"I wanted to see this team in action." Granger said.

"Idiot." I muttered

"You almost saw this team kill you." Sam said.

Granger stared at Sam a moment. "That would have been awkward." Granger said.

"We were in the middle of an operation that could now have be blown." Callen said angrily.

"I was listening in. If anything, I probably save Blye from having to fake more than her identity." Granger countered.

Kensi was about to comment, but I cut in. "I'm sure he means a headache."

"So, Operations Center briefing in twenty minutes. I'll answer all your questions and concerns." Granger said.

"It's almost four in the morning." Kensi said testily.

"I must still be on East-Coast time. In that case, make it thirty. Give you chance to grab some coffee. I'm gonna take a non-fat latte with an extra shot." Granger said, and then left.

We all shot Granger a dirty look. "Is it too late to get my old job back?" I asked.

Kensi and I shared a look, while Callen just glared at the wall.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

The four of us had grabbed some coffee, and a shower. I pulled rank, and made Callen and Sam pick up Granger's coffee.

After we were all assembled in Ops, Granger began the brief. "We operate in an era in which we're faced with a multitude of enemies both at home and abroad. Enemies with ever increasing capabilities in terms of weaponry, tactics, and their abilities to network." Granger paused momentarily, looking at his team but was mesmerized by Eric's outfit. "Are you wearing pajamas?" Granger asked Eric.

"I, uh, rushed in here late last night thinking it was a real emergency. Haven't had time to go home." Eric said.

"Are those badgers?" Granger asked.

Eric was a little insulted that Granger didn't know what animal was on his pants. "Polar bears." Eric said. Kensi chuckled at the exchange, and then Eric continued with the straightest face I have ever seen him pull off. "Deadliest animal in the Arctic."

Granger looked at Callen and then asked. "Have you informed the police that there was an incident at the boatshed?"

"He didn't, but it doesn't matter because even if you were a threat and destroyed the building there would have only been four bodies. One of the bodies would have been missing its head. And then later the news would have been reporting that a cell had been found with all its members dead, and their heads cut off." I said

Callen, Sam and Kensi were doing their bests to suppress the chuckle that I had caused. Granger glared at me, but I pulled a page out of Eric's book. "If it had been a real emergency." I said.

Granger didn't even bother to get into it with me. "Jones," Granger said continuing the briefing. Nell brought a driver's license up on the big screen. "Eight days ago, Brent Bolton died in a local parking garage from what was reported to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Unfortunately, there is no surveillance." Nell pressed a button and crime scene photos appeared on screen. Granger continued. "The gun that killed him was registered to his wife, Mia. It was purchased sixteen days before the shooting. Both Brent and his wife—"

"We're in the middle of several on-going investigations." Callen said, cutting Granger off.

"I'm aware of your open files, but right now, this is priority. Both Brent Bolton and his wife, Mia, are employed by Brindell Research, an independent think tank that works closely with the Department of Defense on everything from economic policy to weapons development." Granger said. Nell had shown the Bolton's ID's for Brindell Research, and the main page of Brindell's webpage.

"And what makes this anything more than a domestic dispute?" Kensi asked.

"Mia Bolton had reported she thought she was being watched." Granger said.

"Well, maybe she just said that to set up an alibi." I chimed in.

Granger smiled that grim smile that I remembered from our days at the agency. "I hope it's that simple. Access to their research is worth billions, even more to their enemies. I need you to determine who killed Brent Bolton, and what, if any, information has been compromised. I've already made arrangements for Miss Jones to be brought into Brindell Research as interim replacement for Brent Bolton." Granger said.

"Nell is an intelligence analyst, not an agent. If someone is going undercover it should be one of us." Callen said.

"I'm not going in. I'm a blunt instrument." I said.

"It's a think tank, Agent Callen, not a cartel." Granger corrected Callen. "Miss Jones has the training. And besides having an IQ that's higher than your combined credit scores, Miss Jones was actively recruited by Brindell Research along with several other think tanks, before winding up here. It's what we call a no-brainer. Keep me updated."

I noticed Eric's surprised look when Granger said that Nell is a brainiac. I didn't get a chance to say anything because Granger started talking to Kensi, and it grabbed my attention. "Agent Blye, I'd like to speak to you about your recent trips to Hawaii when you get a chance."

I noticed the look on Kensi face as Granger walked out of Ops. We went our separate ways, but I had to catch up to Nell before she left for Brindell Research. "Nell can I speak to you in private." I said.

Nell nodded to the back entrance, and I followed her out.

"Deeks." Kensi said.

"I'll be down in a moment." I said, and then exited Ops.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Hetty's office-

Hetty had poured a cup of tea, and it had just finished cooling off enough to her liking. As Callen was walking up, Hetty picked up a spoon and started to stir the tea.

"Double, double, toil and trouble." Callen said.

Hetty just sat there, without responding. This didn't go unnoticed by Callen. "So, what, you're just going to let this guy take over?" Callen asked.

Hetty heard her agent, but was more intent in stirring her tea than answering the question. Callen was taken back by Hetty's unwillingness to answer. Stupefied, Callen walked away mentally scratching his head.

"What did she say?" I asked, as both Callen and I were entering the bull pen.

"Nothing. Literally." Callen said, as I made my way over to sit down in my chair.

"So, maybe we should talk to Director Vance." Kensi suggested.

"And say what? He obviously approved it. Hell, it was probably his idea." Sam said.

"Yeah, Sam's right. Whatever this is, it's playing out above our pay grades. We go along with it for the time being. You and Deeks check out Mia Bolton. We'll work Brindell Research with Nell." Callen said.

Just as I got up from my chair, Sam asked. "Anything you want to add to this?"

"Granger is a royal pain in the neck. I still owe him for some trouble he left me in ten years ago." I said, and then walked out with Kensi.

"I may dislike Deeks, but I never want to get on his bad side." Sam said, as the partners left the bull pen, but not before shooting one last look at Hetty.

Over in the armory, Nell was making a last minute assessment of all the gear she was going to need before heading out to Brindell Research.

"So you're going undercover." Eric said, as he entered.

Nell wanted more than anything than to not have this conversation with Eric. She remembered Jake having a nasty side when he got jealous. "Guess so." she said.

"Cool, cool. I never knew you had been recruited by a bunch of think tanks." Eric said.

"Oh, no?" she asked.

"Uh, no. You, uh, never mentioned it." he said.

"Hmm. Well…" she said.

"Which is, I don't know—"

At that moment Eric's phone beeped. Eric checked his messages, and his eyes almost jumped out of his head when he saw the message on his phone.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Eric said, and then put his phone away.

"Well, if you'll excuse me." Nell said and then started walking towards the exit.

Just before she got to the exit, Granger entered the armory. "Here's the paperwork you'll need for Brindell Research." Granger said.

"Thank you" Nell said, taking the paperwork and leaving.

Granger started to make his way towards Eric. "Yes, Assistant Director?" Eric said.

Granger just stared at Eric, not saying a word.

Eric, not know what was going on, said. "You know, I'm gonna head up to Ops now and coordinate that surveillance feed."

Eric started to walk away, but not before Granger said as he turned to face Eric.. "Maybe you could swing by Wardrobe on your way, have them fit you with some big-boy pants."

Eric was about to launch into a longwinded explanation about how he didn't like to wear pants, but he thought against it. All he did was give Granger a thumbs up, and exit the armory. Granger smiled, and then exited as well.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Brindell Research-

Outside the Brindell Research building, Callen and Sam were resting against Callen's car. Their backs were to the Building that Brindell Research was in, and in front of them was a small park.

"Hetty said Vance had been threatening to put her on a shorter leash." Callen said.

"This is more like a cage. Hetty doesn't do well in captivity. You think this is somebody's way of trying to squeeze her out?" Sam asked.

"You don't have a career like Hetty's without making a few enemies. She has managed to avoid a lot of the backstabbing by staying out of Washington." Callen said.

"Maybe that's why they sent Granger. Guy reeks of being the kind of bureaucratic assassin that could kill your career with an email." Sam said.

While Sam was talking, Callen decided to call OPS. " _Yo._ " Eric answered.

"How are we doing, Eric?" Callen asked.

" _Nell has been signed in as Brent Bolton's replacement. She's through to security and is just heading for Brent Bolton's office. I'll let you know if she finds anything._ " Eric said.

"Good." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

Eric watch as Nell swiped herself into Bolton's office. Nell made her way over to the desk, and placed the briefcase that she had on the desktop, and pop the lid on the case. Eric watch was Nell swept the office for listening devices.

" _All right, Eric, can you hear me?_ " Nell asked.

"Loud and clear." Eric said.

" _Everything seems pretty normal. No listening devices or cameras._ " Nell said. At that moment there was a knocked at the door. " _Shoot, someone's at the door._ "

Nell placed the device in the briefcase, shut the lid, and made her way to the door. Eric was a little perturbed by the distraction, so pulled his ear piece out and busied himself with other things until Nell was back. The man left, and Eric put his piece back in.

" _Where did you go?_ " she asked.

"I didn't go anywhere." he said.

" _Uh-huh._ " she said.

Before Eric could answer, Granger walked into Ops. Eric cleared the screen of the live feed, and replaced it with technical data. Granger walked three feet from the door, and stopped. Granger saw that Eric had changed out of his pajamas, as requested, but the pants he was wearing had a plaid design. Granger shook his head, and then walked over to the console. While Eric was scanning the data on his tablet, updating the data stream and then forwarding it off to the necessary party, Granger was taking in the operation that Hetty had setup.

"So, Assistant Director Granger, you moving to the West Coast permanently?" Eric asked.

"They don't let you out much, do they, Beale?" Granger asked.

Eric was a little taken back by his the question. "Why do you say that?" Eric asked, with a thin smile.

"Lucky guess. That and you kind of remind me of one of those _Twilight_ kids." Granger said.

Eric was not happy about be compared to a movie about emo vampires and werewolves, and he didn't hide the disgust on his face either. Granger smiled, and then looked at some paperwork in front of him. Eric walked over to his workstation.

N.C.I.S. LA.

Mia Bolton's house-

"So why's the new guy wanna talk about your Hawaii trips?" I asked.

Kensi and I shared a look, and then Kensi said. "I don't know."

"Hmm." I said.

"When I was there, I spoke to a few Marines that knew my father." she said.

"Spoke to them about what?" I asked.

"About his death and the day he died. I didn't hear anything I hadn't already heard." she said.

"Well, apparently, someone didn't appreciate the questions." I say. Kensi remained quiet, thinking about what I said. We hear a door open, and we see a man step out of the Bolton residence followed by Mia. "Oh, who do we have here meeting our murder victim's wife?" I asked.

Kensi turned and looked at the man in a suit. I picked up a camera and took a few picture of the interloper.

"Could be her lawyer." Kensi suggested.

The next thing we saw was the man in the suit give Mia a hug.

"Ooh. Huh." Kensi said.

"Wow. And if so, apparently, the lawyer client-privileges include benefits." I say.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Outside Brindell Research-

"Here you go." The barista said, giving Callen his two coffees.

"Thanks." Callen said.

"You got it." he said.

Callen looked at Sam's coffee, and then walked over to his partner. "Right." Sam said. He was on the phone with Kensi. "Okay. Kensi and Deeks spotted some guy at Mia Bolton's house. Taking her to the boatshed for questioning. Thanks." Sam said, ending the call and taking the coffee from Callen.

"Coffee cart gives you a free latte on your birthday. Happy birthday, Oleg." Callen said.

"I look like an Oleg?" Sam said, looking at the name on the cup.

Callen finished taking a sip of his coffee and looked at the name on his cup. "More than I look like a Fareed." Callen said, and then looked around the park. Callen then continued. "It's a nice park. You know if somebody was shadowing Mia Bolton, pretty good place to do it from. You can see her come and go to work." Callen pointed at the entrance to Brindell Research.

"Yup. And they got free City Wi-Fi." Sam said, and then showed Callen the Wi-Fi message on his phone.

"How convenient." Callen said. The partner's shared a look, and then Callen continued. "Brindell Research employees get tired of being cooped up, they come outside, they grab a coffee, soak up a little sun."

"Fire of a couple of e-mails. They know they're supposed to be encrypted, but even if they are, they're still vulnerable. Flying around along with their cell phone calls." Sam said.

"They finish their latte, they throw the empty cup in the recycling bin." Callen said, as he raised his picture to take a picture of the barista. And then continued. "Coffee cup has their name on it, along with their fingerprints. Makes it easy to match with the business cards from the jar trying to win free muffins. He even knows your birthday. And that's just one guy."

Sam nods, and then chuckles pointing to another man. "Then you got Bobby Fischer over here. How many think-tank employees have taken up that challenge at lunch? Sweet old guy prods them with small talk, gathers seemingly trivial personal information." Sam said, as Callen took a picture of the man playing chess. The partners took a seat on a bench.

"Let's not forget about future soccer mom." Callen said, and then took a picture. Callen then said. "Babies are a magnet. Before you know it, she knows the name and ages of your kids, what school they go to and where they take karate."

"Of course you have to be paranoid to think like that." Sam said, and then took a sip of his coffee.

"Well, paranoid or vigilant. And that's just low-tech human intelligence gathering." Callen countered. "If you really wanted to spy on Brindell Research, you would have to set somewhere close by so you could use a laser mike or an EMR detector."

The partners looked up for any place that would fit the bill. The only logical place was the building directing across from Brindell Research. Callen took a picture, and then Sam said. "But it is good coffee."

"Damn good." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

Kensi and I picked up Mia Bolton and took her to the boatshed for interrogation.

"Witnesses said that you and your husband fought a lot." Kensi.

"We both had strong opinions." Mia said.

"Why did you buy a gun?" I ask.

"I thought someone had been following me." Mia said.

"Did you tell the police that?" I asked.

"No." Mia said, which got a questioning stare from the two of us but Mia continued before we could ask. "But I told Brent and some of my co-workers."

"Did they believe you?" Kensi asked.

"Brent didn't. That's why he took my gun. I thought we were being followed. He got so angry with me that he said that he was gonna get rid of it." Mia said.

"But you never saw anyone?" I asked.

"No. Brent left the car, and I waited. After I heard the gun fire, I ran to see what had happened. I thought maybe it had discharged when he threw it away. But I found him lying in the stairwell, in a pool of blood. The gun was beside him." Mia said.

"And you still never saw anybody?" I asked. It was the same question I asked a minute ago, but it couldn't hurt to ask it again.

"No. I loved Brent, and I would never do anything to hurt him. He wasn't just my husband. He was my colleague and my best friend." Mia said. I watch as she fight back tears, but what she said next struck a chord in me. And I know it struck a chord with Kensi. "Do you know what it's like to lose the one person you love more than anything or anyone in the world, and you don't even know who did it or why?"

"Maybe we should, uh… We should take a break. Yeah, Kens?" I said.

Kensi looked up at me, and I could tell that she want to say something but I wanted her to keep her cool. "Yes. Maybe some water?" Kensi asked.

Out in the main room, Sam and Callen were watching the interrogation, but they didn't miss Kensi zoning out. "What's up with Kensi?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with those trips to Hawaii that Granger wants to talk to her about." Callen said.

At that moment, Eric appeared on the plasma. "What is it, Eric?" Callen asked, getting off the table.

" _Hey, I just wanted to give you a heads-up about Assistant Director Granger._ " Eric said.

"What about him?" Sam asked.

" _Uh, he's on his way to the boatshed. And there he is now. Okay. Goodbye._ " Eric said, and then screen disappeared.

Callen and Sam turned to see Granger walk in. There was a staring contest between the three men. "You guys keeping track of me?" Granger asked.

"It's what we do." Callen said.

Granger walked over to the table, and then asked. "How's it coming?" Talking about the interrogation.

"They're taking a break." Sam said

There was a pause before Granger spoke. "It's a funny thing about interrogation. Some think it's a skill that can be taught like anything else." Granger paused before continuing. "But the best have a God-given gift that goes way beyond knowing if somebody's telling the truth."

Granger paused again. Sam silently chuckled, and then glared at Granger when he looked at him. And then Granger continued. "It's like being able to look into a person's soul and know their deepest secrets and their darkest fears."

"Now that sounds like a catch phrase." Sam said.

"No. I think I've seen this movie before." Callen said.

Granger smiled at his wisecracking agents and then took a seat. Callen also took a seat. "Look I'm not here to make friends," Granger said. He paused before continuing "But I'm also not here to become your enemy."

"Good because you already have one pissed off agent on your hands that is willing to pay you back for what you did to him ten years ago." Callen interrupted, taking a seat.

Granger ignored Callen, although he did chuckle at Callen's comment, and then continued. "You need me to, and I need someone to lead this unit into the next millennia."

"We already have an operations manager." Sam said.

Callen put it all together on why this team was cursed with Granger's presences. "You're here for Hetty." Callen said.

"I'm here for a lot of things. Conventional wisdom is great when you're fighting a conventional enemy, but that's not the case anymore." Granger said.

"Hetty has more skill, wisdom than any of us could hope for." Sam countered.

"You know, your loyalty would be admirable, if it weren't so operationally unsound." Granger said

" _Whatever, Granger._ " I said.

The three men looked at the plasma, and saw me staring into the camera with my head tilted to one said. Granger ignored my jab and continued. "If I had been a real enemy, I could have killed the lot of you last night because of that blind loyalty."

"Had you been a real enemy, Hetty would have had your head on a stick before we got here." Callen countered.

"If Deeks wasn't distracted by the op you pulled us off of, he probably would have seen you coming." Sam pitched in.

Granger glared at Sam, but spoke to Callen. "Yeah. I'm well aware of the urban legend that is Henrietta Lange. Folklore is best suited for the history books." Granger said.

"I'm pretty certain you won't find Hetty or Deeks in the history books." Sam said.

Granger, again, ignored Sam and continued. "Like it or not, the old guard is changing, gentlemen. Now, one of you can rise and assume that challenge or I'll find someone else who can." Granger paused for a moment, staring at Callen and Sam, and then said. "Your choice."

Back in the interrogation room, we continued, but we showed Mia the pictures I took earlier of the man in the suit. "How does this guy fit into your life?" I asked pointing at the man in the suit.

"That's Roger McAdams. He's just a friend. Roger's in insurance. He's an actuary." Mia said.

"Did your husband have a life-insurance policy with Roger?" Kensi asked.

"No they don't even know each other. I met Roger in my writing class. I need a creative escape, so I'm writing a novel." Mai said.

"Oh, that's fantastic. About what" I asked.

"It's a love story between a noble woman and a young artist set in Vienna during the Black Death." Mia beamed.

"Nothing says romance like the plague." I said, barely concealing the shiver that went down my spine.

"And Roger? What was his novel about?" Kensi asked.

"He's writing a spy thriller." Mia said.

Kensi and I shared a look.


	42. Blast from the Past Part II

Sam and Callen walked into OPS to see Hetty was still sitting at her desk. "She looks like she hasn't moved since we left." Sam said, as the partners were rounding the stairs.

Callen and Sam didn't see Eric on the stair when they entered. "She hasn't. Maybe she ran out of batteries." Eric said, and then continued to climb the stairs.

Callen and Sam were right behind Eric looking for an update. "You find something?" Callen asked.

"Roger McAdams really is an actuary from an El Segundo insurance company. The only problem is he looks like this." Eric said, as the walking into Ops. Eric picked up the tablet, and brought a picture of the real Roger McAdams. Roger was a black male with a thin goatee, and hair close to the scalp. Eric continued. "As you can see, he is clearly not the man from Mia Bolton's house." Eric then brought up a picture of the fake Roger McAdams.

"So who is this guy?" Callen asked.

"We don't know yet. Facial rec hasn't found a match. I was, however, able to identify your friends from the park. Your coffee vendor is Ari Peretz. He's former Israeli national. Became an American citizen in two thousand seven after a career in Jerusalem's moustarabine." Eric said.

"It means, "those who pretend to be Arabs." They're a no-joke undercover army unit." Sam said.

"Oh it gets better. Meet Faton Hoxha. He's a former Albanian chess master, rumored to have worked for the KGB before the iron curtain came crashing down. Like many, he has denied it ever since." Eric said.

Sam and Callen were liking the results that they were receiving. "What about soccer mom?" Callen asked.

"Oh, she checks out. She's actually just a soccer mom." Eric said, quickly.

"But two out of the three people in the park have intelligence experience from two different countries. That suggests they're working for a private employer." Sam said.

"Maybe they're helping Mia Bolton's mystery man with his spy novel." Eric said.

"You think Mia would be willing to helping us get this guy?" Callen asked.

"Can't hurt to ask." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

Kensi and I were watching Mia's reaction to telling her about her friend impersonating another man. And judging by her response, Mia took it quite well. "What if there are two Roger McAdams?" Mia asked.

"I wish there were, Mia." I Said.

"He was my friend." Mia said.

"No. No, he was just pretending to be." I said.

Mia nodded her head. She understand what I meant, but was having a hard time swallowing all of this. Kensi saw that this was hard on Mia, and decided to give her a way out. "You don't have to do this." Kensi said.

Mia looked up at us, and without hesitation said. "I want to. For Brent."

We both nodded.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Mia was sitting on a bench at one of the many city parks, and from where I'm standing I could she was very nervous. It didn't take long before fake Roger showed up. We could hear the conversation between the two of them. Callen and Sam were in the challenger while Kensi and I moved to a bench about thirty yards away. Mia was starting to lose her nerve.

" _She's getting cold feet._ " Sam said.

"Hang in there, Mia. Just hand him the thumb drive." Kensi said.

" _Get ready to move. She breaks we're gonna have to take this guy._ " Callen said.

Fake Roger coaxed Mia into revealing the flash drive, she said something about it being something that Brent was working on. " _Good girl._ " Sam said.

Roger saw the flash drive, and from where we're sitting it wasn't looking good for him. "Look at him. He's practically drooling." I said.

Roger talked Mia into giving him the flash drive for safe keepings.

" _What a mensch._ " Callen said.

"What do you expect? He's probably running some kind of shady operation." I said.

" _Hmm, Maybe._ " Callen said.

"What do you mean maybe? This dude reeks of something shady." I said.

It was at the moment that Mia handed fake Roger the flash drive. "Now walk away, Mia. Just walk away." Kensi interrupted.

A few seconds later, the meeting was over. Fake Roger left the way he came. Kensi and I head back to the SRX. " _He's moving Eric._ " Callen said.

As we were getting situated in the SRX, we heard Eric say. " _And we are tracking."_ Eric said.

Back at OPS, Eric decided to flip to see what Nell was doing, and it was just in time to see the man from earlier approach Nell. Eric was so jealous that he switch back to check on the position of the flash drive.

Back out on the street, the four of us were pulling up outside a salon, which did not go unnoticed by any of us. We watch the fake Roger get out of his car and head inside.

"Guy may have been handed the keys to the kingdom, and he decides to get a haircut?" Callen asked, stupefied.

" _Nobody said this guy was smart. Unless…_ " I said.

"Unless what?" Callen asked, as he and Sam were about to get out and head to the salon.

Sam looked to see fake Roger come out of the salon, and get back in the car. "Hold it, he's coming back. That was fast." Sam said.

 _Wow. Fast indeed_. Callen thought. "Maybe they don't take walk-ins." Callen said, after getting back in the car.

As fake Roger was pulling away, Sam said. "He's on the move again."

" _He may be, but the flash drive isn't._ " Eric said.

"Must have handed it off to somebody. Kensi follow him. We'll hang with the flash drive, see where it goes next." Callen said.

" _We're on him._ " Kensi said.

Just as Kensi was pulling away from the curb, someone in oncoming traffic rear-ended us.

" _Son of a bitch!_ " I exclaimed.

"You guys okay?" Callen asked.

" _Yeah, but we're losing the target._ "

" _Just for the record, that's called a side view mirror._ " I said, and then got out.

Kensi just sighed as I got out of the SRX. She couldn't believe that I was being that sarcastic at a time like this, and she couldn't believe that she let fake Roger get away.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Granger was heading to see Hetty, but was surprise to see that she wasn't in her office. He wasn't exactly sure where she was, so Granger decided to go check the gym. When he entered the gym, he saw four people sparring in full Kendo gear. Judging by the size of one of them, they were the smallest of the bunch, Granger figured it was Hetty. The sparring session ended, and Hetty pulled her helmet off.

"I was told you were meditating." Granger said, as he approached.

Hetty was a little taken back by the oddity of the statement. "But I am." she said.

"I see you've added to your bag of tricks." he said.

"Just a little exercise. More fun than the Stair Master." she chuckled.

"I was referring to your ability to mesmerize your staff into believing you're the Second Coming." he said.

"My staff are a complementary team of independent thinkers. And you would be wise not to let your personal vendetta cloud your judgement of them. Or me. Or I will let someone else exact vengeance on you for Pakistan ten years ago." she said.

Granger was getting sick of people bringing up Pakistan, albeit, they're not wrong. "Is this where you quote Sun Tzu in a thinly veiled threat?" he asked.

"I'll leave the clichés to you, Owen." she said, and then headed for the locker room.

"Your remaining time might best be spent getting your affairs in order, Henrietta." Granger said. He turned to see that Hetty was staring at him. "I'm not afraid of you."

"That was your second mistake." Hetty said, and then turn to leave.

Granger didn't bother to ask what his first mistake was. He had a pretty good idea that it happened in Pakistan, ten years. What he didn't know was that Hetty was saving Granger a trip to the hospital by keeping me in check. In all honesty, Hetty was probably saving Granger's career by keeping me silent.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Alleyway behind the salon-

We went back to the salon that night to see what we could find. I could have easily worn 'Artie,' but he wasn't necessary tonight. I chilled back by the dumpsters and waited for someone to come out. I don't know these people routines, and I don't want to risk going in the front door. I didn't have to wait long because someone came out to smoke a cigarette.

That is rude and environmentally hostile. I thought.

The man finished the cigarette, and threw it on the ground. I stepped away from the dumpster with a little bag to pick up the cigarette. I put out the cigarette, closed and sealed the bag around it. "But, uh, I appreciate the DNA." I said.

I placed the bag in my coat, pull out my lock pick, and go to work on the door. "Oh, and here we go." I said. I had the lock picked in a few seconds. As I was opening the door I said. "Well, looks like I'm going inside. If I'm not back in ten minute it's because I'm in trouble or I'm getting a bikini wax."

Back at the suv, Sam and Callen stared at Kensi, who had no response. "Welcome to my world." Kensi said, and then chuckled.

In the salon, I checked a couple of doors before I was rewarded with a room of men standing around two tables loaded with folders, manila envelopes, and a crap ton of paper spread out on them. I place two cameras on the water cooler, and then backed out slowly. I didn't want to alert anybody to my presence.

Callen saw me exit, and make my way towards them. " _That was a little too easy._ " I said.

"Cameras are online, guys." Eric said.

I get in the suv, and Sam takes us back to OPS.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Eric had the feed on the plasma in the bullpen when we got in. We were watching the feeds for about twenty minutes when Sam figures it out. "Looks a data-retrieval operation." Sam said.

"The thumb drive we handed off to Roger is still there. Probably being analyzed by one of these guys." Eric said.

"Check out the back wall." Callen said. Eric zoomed in on the back wall. "Those are security shredding bins. They're used for sensitive documents, data-storage devices. That's one opened." Callen said.

"What are the chances Brindell Research uses the same data destruction company?" Sam asked.

"I'd say pretty even. In fact, I used one at Brindell Research today." Nell said, joining the party.

"That's why Hetty insists in destroying everything in house." Kensi said.

I nodded to Nell, and she nodded back. _How's Eric?_ Nell asked with her eyes.

 _Don't know. All I did was tell him be cool while you were out there today. That's it._ I said.

"Eric." Callen said.

"Everything I can find on Steel Tower." Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Brindell Research-

When Nell went back to Brindell Research the next day, the first chance she got, when nobody was looking, she dropped a flash drive into the Steel Tower bin, and then dropped a few files in. Like clockwork, the Steel Tower employee came, and switched out the bins.

Everybody with an earpiece heard Eric sad. " _Tracking is online._ "

Kensi and I pulled up to the garage outside of Brindell Research and we saw the Steel Tower transport truck. I noticed that Kensi was rubbing her neck. "A little whiplash yesterday?" I asked.

"No, I'm fine." she said, and then stopped rubbing her neck.

I pause for a moment before I broach a subject that could end badly for me. "You know, you never told me about your father." I said.

There was a moment of silence. I know Kensi didn't want to talk about this, but if I had to guess this is the reason for Granger wanting to question her. "Yes, I have." she said.

"Not about how he died." I said.

"That's because I'm trying to figure that out myself." she said.

"Just if, um… I don't know if you ever wanna talk about it. I just—I know a thing or two about fathers, so…" I said.

"How old were you when your father died?" Kensi asked, looking at me.

"I wasn't even born yet. He went out to sea one day with a friend, and they never returned. Remains of their ship were found, but they didn't find the bodies." I said.

Kensi stared into my eyes, and I could see something deep in the recesses of her soul. Whatever it was, it was painful. Kensi turned back to her window before the tears started to fall. Whatever was bothering Kensi, it was gone in an instant. "Heads up." Kensi said.

We saw the employee from Steel Tower walk towards the back, stop the dolly, and then lift the bin onto the back of his truck.

"Guys, he's putting the bin in the truck without shredding it." Kensi said.

" _And I'm still getting a signal._ " Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

"Juan Garcia worked at Steel Towers for six years. It's one of the two jobs he has, in part to pay for his daughter's, Emma, college. Four months ago he received these." Callen said. I press a button on the clicker, and four photos pop up of teenage girl, and Callen continues. "Surveillance photos. This is his daughter Emma."

"Juan was told to stop shredding Brindell Research bins and deliver them to our friends at the hair salon." Sam said.

"And if he didn't, they'd hurt his daughter?" Kensi asked.

"Exactly." Callen said.

"He say who told him to do this?" I asked.

"Wasn't given a name, but he positively identified our old friend." Sam said.

"Who still hasn't been identified and who "we" let get away." Kensi said.

"If by "we" you mean you because you were driving." I said.

Callen was going to stared the both of us, but when I put the blame squarely on Kensi because she was the one behind the wheel, Callen smirked at Kensi. Kensi tried to give me the evil eye, but I wasn't budging.

"So, what do we do now? We can't use Mia again." Kensi said.

"Well, you know that photo you sent me? There is an office space rented in the building across the street from Brindell Research. I looked at the list of tenants, but I wasn't able to find out who owns it because it's an LLC registered in a nondisclosure state. I did find something. Their security is a joke. Probably another reason they like the building. It's our guy. Roger." Eric said, after a long winded speech and showing a picture of fake Roger. Eric quickly added. "Phony Roger.

Kensi chuckled as Callen said. "We've got everything we need. Time to pay him a visit."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

Three hours later, we had the entire operation dismantled and the members in custody. Callen and Sam we're interrogating fake Roger, and they had an ace up their sleeve. Roger was acting like he was about to walk out in three seconds.

"Lawyer." Roger said, checking his finger nails.

"Federal agent." Callen said.

"Hmm. Funny. I want my lawyer." Roger said.

There was a moment of silence while Callen and Sam just stared at Roger.

"The longer you stall, the longer my rights are denied. It only hurts you." Roger said.

"That's true. If we were cops and you weren't stealing classified Department of Defense secrets." Sam said.

"You see we're federal agents, and you have violated a number of national security laws. At least—"

"A dozen." Sam interjected.

"Yikes, I was gonna say seven, but we have a little thing called the "war on terrorism." Maybe you've heard of it." Callen said.

"Not to mention the murder of Agent Griffin." Sam said.

Callen pulled out two pictures. Both were of Brent and Mia Bolton, but they were given fake names for this little charade. "Special Agent Ian Griffin. His partner saw you murder him. That would be Special Agent Reece Watson. You knew them as Mia and Brent Bolton. You're surveillance is mediocre, your counter surveillance—"

"Sucks." Sam said, with a grin on his face.

"Bad." Callen said.

Roger took a breath, but Callen continued. "What can I say? You got played." Callen said.

"I didn't kill anybody." Roger said.

"Your word against a federal agent." Sam said.

Roger paused for a moment, and then said. "Look I wasn't even armed. Okay? I was just tailing them. Bolton pulled his gun on me. I tried to get away from him. I shoved him down the stairs, the gun went off when he fell. That's the truth."

You'd swear to that?" Callen asked.

"Yes." Roger said.

Callen and Sam continued to stare at Roger.

"Yes!" Roger exclaimed.

Callen and Sam played Roger again. Sam cleared his throat.

"No." Roger said.

"Yeah." Sam said.

In the main room I asked. "So, what do we tell Mia Bolton?"

"The truth. That her husband died protecting her." Kensi said.

At that moment, the side door opened and Granger walked in, followed by two other men. "They still inside?" Granger asked.

"Yeah, but you can't go in there." I said.

"Hey." Kensi said

"Hey!" I said.

Granger entered interrogation room. "Nice work."

"What are you doing?" Callen asked.

"We'll take it from here." Granger said.

"We're not finished here." Sam said.

"Yeah, you are. And did a great job. Seriously, I thought this would take you guy's weeks. I am genuinely impressed." Granger said. He smiled, and then left.

"Deeks is going to say something funny." Callen said.

The partners left the room to finish up with Granger, but also to hear what I had to say. Just as Sam and Callen were entering the main room, I held one finger out to Kensi. Kensi gave me a stink eye, and all I did was wave signifying that Callen and Sam had the floor first. Callen nodded, but Sam spoke first.

"Granger." Sam snapped.

"That's Assistant Director Granger, Agent Hanna." Granger corrected.

"Man gets a fancy title and he thinks he's all that and a bag of Doritos, when in reality he's only a fraction of that and a bag of Fritos." I muttered, to which Kensi started snickering.

"Our conversation is gonna have to wait, Blye. Now, in the interim, you stay out of Hawaii." Granger said.

"So what, you hand him off to one of the other agencies for some bureaucratic favors? Callen asked.

"You see, now you're catching on." Granger said.

"I'm sorry. I hate to interrupt, but is it my turn yet? I've been waiting so patiently, and I just can't wait any longer." I say. Kensi, Sam and Callen donned a straight face, but I could hear a couple of snickers. "Just a word of advice for you Granger: don't flaunt your authority."

"I will use my power as I see fit, and it's—"

"A fancy title that doesn't mean anything. The only reason you weren't killed is because of Hetty. Actually, even if you had been killed, Hetty would have told Director Vance that it was one of your hair-brained ideas that got you killed." I said.

"Watch your tone Agent Deeks." Granger warned me.

"Or, what? You'll fire me. You've know me for what, thirty years?" I asked.

"Give or take." Granger said.

"And in those thirty years, have you known me to issue any empty threats?" I asked.

Granger just stared at me. "Good. What do you think is going to happen if you fire me" I asked.

Granger continued to stare at me. "If your guess is anything other than Hetty is not going to protect you, you guessed wrong. So, from one spook to another I have some advice for you. Although, it's for your ears only." I said, and then proceeded to whisper my advice in Granger's ears.

"You finished?" Granger asked.

"Yeah, I'm finished."

Granger turned and walked away.

"We catch him, Granger gets the glory." Sam said.

"This is my fault." Callen said.

"How do you figure?" Sam asked.

"I should have let you shoot him." Callen said.

"I'd say it's probably not too late if you run out there, but you're gonna have to take a number." I said.

I couldn't see it, but from the look on Callen's face he was seriously considering it, but Kensi was chuckling at my comment.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

Nell was making her way over to her working station, and she was upset that Eric kept to himself the entire case. "Won't be needing this anymore." Nell said, dropping the earpiece on the desk in front Eric.

Eric took a moment and thought about how he should answer, but the best thing he could come up with was. "Welcome back." he said.

"That's it?" she asked

"I'm not exactly sure what you want from me. You were in a situation that you probably didn't want to be in, and my petulant attitude wouldn't have helped. If you preferred a whiny eight year old, I promise next time you go out in the field without me again, I will let me jealousy out for all to see." he said.

"A few petulant thoughts and comments would have been appreciated. Just not when I was interacting with the local natives." Nell said.

Down in the bull pen the lot of us were moping around after Granger had taken out suspect away. We all turned to see Hetty as she entered the bull pen.

"Well, aren't you a sorry-looking bunch." Hetty said.

"I was beginning to think Granger had turned you into stone." Callen said.

"Never mistake motionlessness for inactivity, Mr. Callen. Crocodiles get most of their meals that way." Hetty said.

I smiled, and looked up at Callen who was also smiling.

"Granger took our guy." Sam said.

"Yes. But you solved the mystery of Brent Bolton's death and broke up a spy ring that was threatening national security. You should all be proud. What were you hoping for? A ticker tape parade and a photo op?" Hetty asked.

"We were hoping to follow through with it." Callen said.

"Patience, Mr. Callen. This is far from over. Now, I want you to all get out of here. I have a standing reservation for a private room at the Geisha house. But they'll only hold it until ten." Hetty said.

"Really?" Kensi asked, excitedly.

"Well, no. They'll hold it until whenever the hell I get there. But I want you all out of here. Don't worry about the bill. I'm expensing it to our new assistant director." Hetty said.

Kensi laughed, and Sam said. "Nice."

I know Hetty had other plans, do I didn't bother to ask.

"You not coming with, Hetty?" Kensi asked.

"Hetty has other plans." I said

Hetty pointed at me, and then walked over to her desk. Hetty was packing her bag when Callen approached her desk. "These plans of yours wouldn't have anything to do with Granger?" Callen asked.

Hetty was going to answer, but she elected to stay quiet.

"He's here to stay, isn't he?" he asked.

"He's here definitely. How long he stays remains to be seen." she said.

"Should I be worried about you?" he asked.

"Not as much he should be." Hetty said.

"I don't suppose you want to tell me the story of you two?" Callen asked.

Hetty contemplate that answer. "It's still being written." she said.

"Well, I hope it has a happy ending." Callen said, and then walked away.

"Not bloody likely." Hetty said, once Callen was out of ear shot.


	43. Chapter 43

The next morning, I got a call just as I was stepping out the door to go surfing. I checked the caller Id and saw that it was Nell. "What do you need Nell?" I asked.

" _Can you meet?_ " she asked.

"Does it have to be private?" I asked.

" _Sort of._ " she said.

"When do you want to meet?" I asked.

" _Two hours from now._ " she said.

"Where?" I asked.

" _I'll send the location later._ " Nell said.

"Got it." I said, and then hung up.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Warehouse district-

"Really Nell?" I asked, pulling up beside her min-cooper.

"It was necessary." she said.

"How?" I asked.

"Granger has been snooping around Ops lately. A lot since more I renewed my search into Kensi past." she said.

"What did you find?" I asked.

"Kensi became and N.C.I.S. agent to investigate her father, Donald Blye, murder." she said.

"What did you find?" I asked.

"He died in a car accident. He remains were so badly burned that his body could only be identified through dental records." she said.

I think about what I just heard, and then asked. "Are there any other deaths that match his?" I asked.

"I couldn't find how many were in Donald Blye's unit, but there have been at least five deaths or more that were killed like Donald. All with their brake lines being blown out before the crash." she said.

"How does Granger factor into this whole mess?" I asked.

"He had control of Donald Blye's unit: Oscar Sierra." she said.

"Oh my..." I said.

"What?" she asked.

"Every time Kensi asks about her father, another member of his old unit dies. Granger has been keep tabs on the old unit trying to figure out how they are all dying." I said.

"That's not even the best part." she said.

"Oh." I said, intrigued by what Nell found out.

"Granger has been keeping tabs on Kensi search, and giving her information." she said.

"Hoping Kensi would lead him to the killer." I said, shaking my head. "Oh, Granger, you've done it now."

"What happened in Pakistan ten years?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Granger and Hetty were on protection detail for independent contractors. They all got captured, and I was sent in to rescue them. We got everybody out, but as I was escaping the exit got cut off. Granger could have helped me, but he turned and ran leaving me behind. In his defense, the Taliban were firing on us." I said.

"It doesn't justify leaving you behind." she said. "Kensi said that you whispered something in Granger's ear. What was it?"

"I said that if you fire me, they wouldn't find the body." I said.

Nell's eyebrows almost went through the roof. "What should we do about Kensi?" she asked.

"I can try to talk to her, but I doubt she will listen." I said.

"Come on. We have to get to work." Nell said.

"Let's." I said

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Two month later: OPS-

We've been under Granger's watchful eye for over two month, and amazingly, Granger is still alive. Though Granger disappear over two week ago. He left without saying a word. Callen was in Hetty's office when he said. "Scuttlebutt around the office is you killed Granger."

Hetty just laughed. "Should I check your closet, maybe your trunk?" Callen asked.

"I wish it was that simple. But this reprieve we have been granted is only temporary. The assistant director is probably terrorizing another office at the moment. And when he gets bored he will come back here." Hetty said.

"Keep us in the loop." Callen said, and then left.

"You got it." Hetty said.

Callen was heading back to the bull pen when he heard a whistle coming from the balcony. Sam, and Kensi met Callen as he climbed the stairs, while I was making my way to meet them from the other side of the balcony. "Where were you at?" Kensi asked.

"Making the rounds." I said.

We enter Ops and we're given a case about dead sailors, and marines with loose connections to a drug ring.

"Kensi and Deeks, I want you two to check out the crime scene. We'll go to the hospital and talk to only victim to survive." Callen said.

"On it." Kensi said.

We went our separate ways, but on my way out I saw Nell eyeing me. I nodded at her, and then walked out.

As Kensi and I were entering the parking garage, I said. "Hey, Kensi can I say something."

"What?" she asked

"Is there any way I can get you to take a break from investigating your father's murder?" I asked.

"I can't and you know it. Why would you even ask that?" she asked.

"Because a little birdie told me that every time you talk to someone in your father's old unit, they wind up dying." I said.

"Does this little birdie happen to work for our company?" she asked.

"No." I lied, not willing out Nell as the birdie.

"I can't do that, I've spent my entire life investigating this case. If I don't see it through, then I won't know who I am." she said.

"Kensi, all the evidence in the case is circumstantial at best, but they will come with questions. I promise." I said.

"I'll deal with it with the times come, now stop bothering me about this will you. This is the second time I heard about this. First, Nell. Now, you." Kensi said.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." I said, and then fell silent.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Hospital-

Sam and Callen had ask only two question to the female sailor.

"Do you have any idea why anyone would kill all these people?" Sam asked.

"No." she said.

"Did you get a good look at the person, or people who did this?" Callen asked.

"No. They all wore masks, and I didn't see them come in." she said.

Sam had an idea, and excused himself. While Callen continued to question the victim, Sam went to ask a nurse about their patient. When Sam got to the station he identified himself. "I'm Special Agent Sam Hanna, N.C.I.S., was there anything odd about Petty Officer Jenkins when she came in?"

"When the E.M.T.'s brought her in they said that she had a severe laceration on her lower back and gluteal region, but when we went to fix the wound it was already healed." he said.

"Who gave you the orders to keep quiet about this?" Sam asked.

"Someone from the federal government by the name of Helena Osmanski." he said.

"Thanks." Sam said

Sam went back to Jenkin's room, and when he entered Sam said. "Is all right if I take your picture? We would like our boss and an associate of ours to verify something."

"Sure. No problem." she said.

Sam took the picture, and then said. "Thank you for your time. We don't have any further questions, but if you think of anything, no matter how small it is, here's my business card."

Sam handed P.O. Jenkins his business card, and the partner's left. Sam motioned for Callen to remain silent, and they didn't speak until they got to the challenger.

"What's going on?" Callen asked.

"When I went to talk to the nurse she said that the E.M.T.'s brought the sailor in with a severe laceration to her low back and gluteal region." Sam said.

"But?" Callen asked.

"When the staff got around to treating the wound, it had already healed." Sam said.

"What are you thinking?" Callen asked.

"Ever heard of the name Helena Osmanski?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that's one of Hetty's aliases?" Callen said.

"Either her, or Deeks will know will what's going." Sam said, and then open door.

Callen got in the passenger side, and they went back to OPS.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Crime scene: ten minutes earlier-

Kensi and I pulled up to the crime scene to a zoo. There were at least two different crime scene units, and multiple corner's vans on scene. Something feels is off. My senses are tingling, and not because of imminent danger but something that we will find.

"Tread carefully." I said.

"You feel off too." Kensi asked.

"Yeah. You?" I asked.

"Same." Kensi said.

Kensi and I pulled our badges out, and the officer lets us in. "Do you know who's in charge of this facility?" Kensi asked.

"Colonel James Madison. His office is over in the corner." the officer said, pointing to his office on the balcony.

"Thanks." Kensi said.

Kensi noticed that I made a face when I heard the name. "You know the colonel?" she asked.

"No I do not." I said.

"You sure about that?" she asked.

"Yep. I don't know the—"

"Major Deeks!" a voice shouted out.

Kensi and I looked up to see Colonel James Madison standing in the doorway to his office. "And you know me how?" I asked.

"Come to my office, and I will explain everything." he said, and hurried us into his office.

Kensi and I hurried up the stairs, and into the colonel's office. "You served with my grandfather in World War I." James said, as he shut the door. James pointed to a picture on his desk.

"Colonel Brock Madison?" I asked, as Kensi picked up the picture. Sure enough, there I was standing with the other men in uniform. Kensi stared at me in surprise.

"Yes. How are you still alive? You should be dead." James said.

"That is a long story, one that I'm afraid you aren't cleared to hear." I said.

"What was the purpose of this facility?" Kensi asked, placing the picture back on the desk.

"We were tasked with creating a medical formula that could heal any wound on contact. The project was under development for ten years, it wasn't until twelve months ago that we were cleared for animal testing." James said.

"How long did animal testing last?" Kensi asked.

"Animal testing lasted a year." James said.

Just Kensi continued questioning the colonel about the trails, I felt the need to look out the window. I happen to notice a man with a police uniform was carrying a case, and was heading for the exit. Something about him was off. I rush out of the office, and move quietly down the stairs. I hear Kensi yell after me, but I didn't stop. I'm twenty feet from the man when I slow down and said. "Excuse me sir, but could I ask you a question."

The man turn to look at me, and his mouth almost hit the floor. He took off running, and I knew that this man was up to no good. I caught up to him, and tackled him to ground before he could clear the crime scene. The man tried to make a scene, but I showed my badge to the officers and they backed off. I cuffed him, pulled him to his feet, and then picked up a case. I turned to see Kensi and Colonel Madison approaching.

"Why did you do that?" Kensi asked.

"Back to the office before we discuss that." I said.

I handed the case over to Madison, and pushed the suspect towards the stairs. Everybody was watching us. Everybody watched us go up the stairs, and then shut the doors. We were in there for twenty minutes, and then Kensi and I left with the suspect in tow. As we were exiting the building my senses were on high alert, but it was too late. Our suspect was down before we heard the shot.

"Sniper!" I shouted.

Kensi and I dove for cover, and then we tried to find where the shot came from. I looked down to see the suspect had a nice size hole in his forehead. _Crap._ I thought.

"Wonderful." Kensi said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS parking garage-

"You are not telling Sam that I was a major during World War I." I said, after we exited the SRX.

"Oh, come on. I'm willing to bet that Sam might warm up to you if he knew." Kensi said.

"I doubt it, but you're still not telling him. Why the colonel gave that picture is beyond me." I said.

"Okay." Kensi said, looking back at the glove compartment and then we walked into Ops.

Kensi was upset that I didn't want to reveal my military history. Could it bridge the gap between me and Sam? Maybe, or it could widen it even further. That's a chance I'm not willing to take.

"You two okay?" Callen asked, as we entered the bull pen

"We're good, but I can't say the same for our suspect." I said.

"What did you guys learn?" Sam asked.

"We learned that the government was developing a healing compound that could heal just about any wound in an instant" Kensi said.

"That would explain what we found at the hospital." Callen said.

"They succeeded?" I asked.

"The patient at the hospital had a severe laceration on her low back and gluteal region, but it had already healed." Sam said.

"Does she look familiar?" Callen asked, Sam showing me the picture of Petty Officer Jenkins.

I took one look at the picture and said. "Nope. Can't say that I do."

"You sure?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. I've seen a lot of women in my time on this earth, but I've never encountered her or anyone like her." I said. "But I'm sure pretty Hetty might know."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I'm certain you guys already know about Helena Osmanski." I said.

"Yeah." Callen said.

"Then there isn't anything else to say. In any case, where is Hetty at?" I asked scanning the main hall, and then the balcony.

"She said that she had to go pay someone a visit." Nell said entering the bull pen, flanked by Eric.

"What are we missing?" Callen asked.

"This is Hetty we're talking." Eric said.

"We won't know until Hetty is good and ready." I said.

"What can you tell us about the trials?" Callen asked.

"They've been developing the compound for ten years. Last year it was clear for animal testing, and in was in that stage for about a year." Kensi said.

"Nell can you reach out to any of our associates and have them run tests." I said, producing a vial of healing agent.

"You know it's illegal to steal government property." Sam said.

"Maybe, but I want to be sure that this thing is the finished product or is that sailor in the hospital going to die." I said.

"Why do you want it tested?" Callen asked.

"No reason" I said.

"You want it tested because you have a feeling that this is might lead to something bigger." Nell said.

"What Colonel James Madison didn't tell you was that we were developing a compound that could make our soldier's immune to pain." Hetty said, entering the bull pen.

"How is that good?" Eric asked.

"If our soldiers can't feel any pain, they won't stop fighting." Callen said.

"But still, what if the wound stops them from moving forward?" Eric asked.

"It's doesn't matter if they can't move. If they can still pull a trigger, they'll continue to fight." Sam said.

"Did we get an id on our dead suspect?" I asked.

"He's just some random police officer that racked a lot of debt at a casino owned by the Chinese." Nell said.

"Now how did the Chinese find out about this trial before we did?" Callen asked.

"Because it was a joint venture between our countries." Hetty said.

"I didn't realize we were on speaking terms with the Chinese." I said.

"It wasn't the Chinese that employed that sniper." Eric said.

"Oh." Callen said.

"We found this ten minutes after the shooting." Nell said.

Nell pulled a picture up from a street camera, and we saw a man in jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes carrying a guitar case. "Anybody getting a Desperado vibe?" Sam asked.

"That guy in the movie was a Mariachi band member, and this man is definite not from south of the border." I said.

The entire room, except for Hetty, stared at me like I was alien from another planet. "What I had a lot of time to kill while I was waiting for N.C.I.S. to bring me back from L.A.P.D." I said.

"Continuing on, this man is a former DGSE agent." Eric said.

"What is it with the French and not minding their own business?" Sam asked.

"When did the French last interfere?" I asked.

"Last year, when you went to Prague, a bunch of foreign operatives came to town looking for a book." Callen said.

"And that happened in the span of three days?" I asked. Sam nodded. "Wow, the things you miss when you go out of town." I said.

"Where do we stand with the sole survivor of this little government experiment?" Callen asked.

"I'm working on that." Hetty said.

"What about this project that we had discovered?" Sam asked.

"They're trying to rebuild, but the government is making it really hard for Colonel Madison." Eric said.

"I wonder why." Callen said.

"If I had to guess Helena Osmanski is putting pressure on the government." I said.

"If that formula were to fall into the hands of our enemies, well… I'll let you use your imagination." Hetty said.

"How long before they resume human trails?" Kensi asked.

"It will be sometime." Hetty said.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I had Eric do some under the radar search and release in the colonel's system." Hetty said.

"Meaning?" Kensi asked.

"Meaning that Hetty had Eric hack into Colonel Madison's system and release a virus to set them back ten year." Nell said.

"Ouch." Callen said, as Kensi, Sam and I gasped at what Hetty had Eric do.

"So much for the government putting pressure on Colonel Madison." I said.

"Well then." Sam said.

"What's next?" Kensi asked.

"Do you know who this is Hetty?" Sam asked, showing Hetty the picture of the Petty Officer Jenkins.

"No I do not, Mr. Hana. Is that the Petty Officer that was taken to the hospital?" Hetty asked.

"Yeah." Sam said.

"I'm sorry, but I do not. For the time being the case is dead in the water. Fill out the necessary paper work, and then go do whatever you like until five." Hetty said.


	44. The Red Mance Part I

Eric was in Ops watching the live feed of the raid that was currently being carried out. Hetty received a message that if she wanted her team back, alive and unharmed, that she was to step down as operations manager and was to release me from my duties as an agent. That didn't particularly sit well with her, so Hetty sent me in to rescue Callen, Sam, and Kensi. What I didn't know was the perpetrator was an immortal that had lost their mind, and grown infatuated with me.

"You think the lot of you deserve Ashono MacLeod? We have been linked ever since we worked together three thousand years ago. He is my king, and I am his queen. We belong together he and I, and none of you will ever come between us!" the woman said, with a cackle.

The next thing to happen was a kukri came flying out of nowhere and imbed itself in the mad woman's shoulder. The woman let out a blood curdling scream, and then looked in the direction of the knife thrower. To Sam, Callen, and Kensi surprise Nell stepped out of the shadows dressed in tactical gear holding another kukri. The woman let out a howl of a scream, but before she could move on Nell another kukri had slit her throat. The woman fell to her knees clutching her throat, in some vain attempt to stop the bleeding. When she looked up to see who had slit, she attempted to scream but all she did is choke on her own blood. The man who cut her throat was I, Ashono MacLeod, and without fail I said.

"We do but it's not going to work you know cause I'm a Capricorn, and you're FREAKING NUTS!" shouting the last two words.

I then proceed to cut the woman's head off. It's been a while since I experience a Quickening, and it still hurt. Though it did leave a funny taste in my mouth this time. _UGH! Taste like coconut!_ I thought.

While I was riding out the Quickening, Nell was cutting Sam, Callen and Kensi free of their restraints. When the Quickening finished I attempted to get back to my feet, and was successful to some extent. I turned to look at everybody, and was greet by blank stares. Mostly. Nell had a comical grin on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"Really?" Callen asked.

"Capricorn?" Sam asked.

"You're welcome." I said.

And the five of us exit the premises as quickly as we could before backup arrived. That was Friday. On Monday, I was getting ribbed by everybody in the office for my Capricorn statement.

"Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

I turn to see Hetty standing on the stairs to her office. From the look on her face she had very serious news. I'm certain this conversation has nothing to do with my zodiac sign crack. The news that Hetty gave me made me extremely pissed off. I wanted to argue, but she didn't budge. I know Hetty is hiding something, and I was going to use my skills to see what she was hiding. Instead of hiding in the wings of the balcony attempting to see what is going on in Ops, I decide to use some hacking skills that I gleaned recently. Technically, it isn't hacking. I just decided to go through all the action reports and see what was written. Three days after the ops, and all the paperwork had been filled out, I found a quiet, out of the way place to snoop. Like the gadget room.

To my surprise, all I see are names and pictures. One pictures is of a man with his face covered in gauze because of a bullet wound.

"What are you doing?" Kensi asked.

"Snooping." I said.

"Is this about the takedown Callen and Sam were involved in?" she asked.

"Yep." I said.

"I'm not exactly sure why you're making such a big deal out it. Even I wasn't allowed to go along either." she said, but this man with the gauze covered face seemed off.

"Hey, are you listening?" she asked.

"I heard you, but something about this man seems wrong." I said.

"Wrong? You're just upset that you weren't involved in the bust." Kensi teased, but I shrugged her off.

The whole thing was to clean. _I know this because something in my gut is telling me so._ I thought, but I let it go.

Granger returned later that day, and the take down was forgotten about because we, mostly myself, were doing our best not to kill Granger. The case load we got came in fast, and hard. We had case involving six dead marines, another for seven dead sailors, and a few possible terrorist attack. We had seven different case for the sailors. Not one case with seven dead sailors. Same with the marines. And if that wasn't bad enough, Hetty had me out our hours of the day and night killing immortals. This went on for six months straight.

At the end of the first month, I put in vacation time and disappeared. No cell phone, no computer. Completely off the grid. I couldn't get away from Hetty even if I wanted to, but she respectfully honored my request to leave me alone for the better part of a week. I went to Las Vegas for the week. I drank during the day, and slept the night away. By the third night, I had company waiting in my living room when I came back from dinner. It was a normal night, but it took a turn for the weird when I got back to my room. I noticed the _do not disturb sign_ on the door handle as I was approaching my room. I never put that sign out, no matter the circumstances, so I knew something is wrong. I pullout my key card and stick it into the card reader. Before I open the door, I pull out a small set of night vision goggles, and enter the room.

I close the door quietly, and the pull my kukri from its hiding place in the bathroom. I make my way quietly to the hiding spot I created when I scoped the place out three days ago, and saw that I had three intruders. I can't make any markings on the clothing. They're all wearing suits, and expensive judging by the material used. And then I realized that two of three had massive tattoos poking out of their collar, and cuffs, so they are Russian at best. The client could be Russian, but their tattoos are hidden. Then I decided to just go for it.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Yes, you can." a female said. Judging by the accent, it's Eastern European. German maybe. Before she speaks again, I try racking my brain to see if I pissed off a German associate, or if a German associate is coming to me for a favor. "Can we turn on a light?" she asked.

I made my way back to the hall, and flipped the switch. When I head back into living room I see that the bodyguards were standing behind the woman as opposed to being on the balcony. The woman was a lot older than I thought. "What does a woman of your stature want some with one like me?" I asked.

'What makes you say that?" she asked.

"A German business women with two Russian bodyguards. If I had to guess you had been scoping me out for a few days. Maybe even followed me ever since I left Los Angeles." I said.

How do you know?" she asked.

"Your perfume. I smelt it two nights ago when I was at the bar. You bodyguard on the left, I saw him when I exited the bathroom two nights ago. And the bodyguard on the right, I saw him when I checked in Monday. You may have even tailed me for a few days, but your craft isn't top notch. Maybe I should be asking a different." I said.

"Which is?" she asked.

"Why does former S.A.S. / M.I.6 agent Monica Lavin want with me?" I asked.

"You know who I am?" Monica asked, dropping the German accent.

"Yes, but I don't have time to go into a list of you achievements. What do you want with me?" I asked.

"I have been tracking a man ever since he left Russia fifty-seven years ago." she said.

"Okay. What does that have to do with me?" I asked

"I reached out to your boss because I've been tracking a man by the name of James—"

"What does Colonel James Madison have to do with any of this?" I asked.

"I'm sure you remember what happened in Lienz, Austria?" she asked.

And then it came back to me. That picture of me with Brock Madison wasn't during World War I, it was the second war, and it was at the camp in Auschwitz. I close my eyes momentarily as I try to forget the horrors that I saw there. We worked the Russians to clear out Auschwitz, but Jack had escaped before we moved on the camp. That was January. In May, we heard the reports of the British handing the Cossacks over to the Russians. Forty to fifty thousand men, women, and children were "repatriated" back to Russia.

"Wait. Are you telling me that James Madison isn't related to Brock Madison?" I asked.

"James and Brock are related, but they are uncle and nephew. James father was also in the photo with you, but he died not long after Stalin died. So was James mother." she said.

"What's James' angle?" I asked.

"His father and uncle served valiantly, but because they happened to be Cossack's, even though they didn't fight against the Russians, Stalin enslaved them all. James was born just after the Cossacks had been officially pardoned, but James was raised by Brock who had survived the death squads. His bitterness influenced James into becoming the man he is today." she said.

"That still doesn't explain James' endgame." I said.

"I've been tracking him for fifty-seven years, trying to get a read on his motives." she said.

Something about all the people that Hetty has been ordering to kill is starting to form a pattern in my head. All of the people were speaking with a Russian dialect, but the cadence seemed off. It was Russian, but it wasn't the main Russian language.

"Are you telling me that you and Hetty have been working together to takedown Cossack's pretending to be Americans, or any other nationality?" I asked.

Monica gave me a pointed look. "Yes." she said.

"Well if you're tracking Madison, he's probably gone to ground again." I said.

Monica swore in German, and then asked. "When did this happen?"

"Last month. He was working on a curative agent that could heal any wound on contact. There was a Petty Officer who it had worked on, but Hetty had Madison's work and notes destroy. I confiscated vial of the agent, but I'm not exactly sure if Madison has anymore in his possession, or how much of it." I said.

"Point me in the general direction, and I will take it from there." Monica said standing up from the chair.

I text Monica the address of the warehouse, and then showed the trio the door. My mood has been soured by this strange turn of events. I continue to drink the following days, but I don't get blackout drunk. I think about the conversation that I had with Monica, while keeping a more vigilant watch on my surroundings. I start to notice a few outliers, ones that I barely noticed before. But thanks to my wakeup call form Monica, I actually notice them. It seems that I had company has followed me from Los Angeles.

I get in my car and drive to a secluded area, and ditch my car. Without fail, the people watching me back at the hotel followed me. I get the drop on them and kill every one of them. The last person to die decided to unburden himself before leaving. I learn that Madison has been after key characters that survived World War II. A lot of the people directly in charge of the army, or any other positons in the government are dead, but it's a possibility that they had groomed successors to take over for them. And so on and so forth. I killed this man, and then decapitate his friends. I come back to the last one, and was relieved to find out none of these people are immortals. I'm being to wonder if James might be an immortal, but that is a line of questioning that I will have to have with Hetty when I get back.

I head back to the hotel, and pack my bags. Vengeful Cossacks on the loose isn't something that I can overlook. Madison is long gone by now, and I will either have to wait for him to resurface, or for Monica to make another appearance. But for now, I have to get back to Los Angeles and revisit all the scenes where I killed all those men, and do some leg work.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Six months later-

I had been following up on any leads that I found, or that Hetty had forward on to me. I was in the firing range, when Hetty decided to let the cat out of the bag that she knew what was going on. "How goes the search?" she asked, after I had clear my weapon.

"On which front? Madison, or his compatriots?" I asked.

"Either?" she asked, looking for an update.

"Madison has gone to ground, which you already knew." I said.

"Couldn't hurt to ask." she said.

"And the other men I killed before I ran into Monica in Vegas have turned up little evidence. I still have Eric and Nell run down the leads anyways. What do you expect to find?" I ask.

"I have suspected the Cossacks had infiltrated our ranks for some time now. Although though they don't seem keen on stealing state secrets." she said.

"What's their plan? Slowly bleed the people who wronged them until their objective is complete." I said.

"There is a rumor that the current Russian President has no love for the Cossacks. Believes that they shouldn't have been pardoned back in fifty-seven" she said.

"So are you telling me that we stumbled upon a rogue group gearing up to stage their own coup?" I asked.

"Possibly." she said.

"You mean to tell me that you have been actively killing off members of an ethnic group just because they intend to overthrow a communist government?" I asked.

"Russia is a country that already has a questionable equilibrium. Having it thrown completely out of whack could cause another world war that makes the first two look like O.K. Corral." she said.

"That was a very crude comparison, but I get the picture. So what do we do now?" I asked.

"Keep running down any leads. Something is bound to break. And when it does, we need to be ready to move." Hetty said, as she was leaving the firing range.

I really do hate getting involved in the government affairs of another country. The search continued on and off for a few days. Other cases interfered with my search, but the case from six months ago, the one that Hetty made me sit out, was about to heat up again. And an old nemesis of mine was about to make a very brief appearance again.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Three weeks later-

It was night time at a parking garage in downtown L.A. Two men were leaving work, late at night. They got into a nice sedan. One man said that he told his wife that he would have been home sooner. The other said that his wife was out of town. The driver started the car, and waited a few seconds. Next thing that happened is the door on the driver side opened, and a gun was brought into view.

"What's going on?" Bryan asked.

The person fired four rounds: one into each of the men's legs. The two men screamed out in pain, as the man holding the gun pulled out a cell phone, hit speed dial, and then handed the phone to the driver. "Take it. Take it." the man said with a raspy voice.

" _Hello?_ " the man on the other end of the line said.

"Hello." The driver said.

" _Hello?_ " the man on the phone said.

"David? It's Paul. We've been shot." Paul said.

" _What are you talking about?_ " David asked.

David is trying to figure out what is going on, but Paul is distracted by what the man. "Tell him if he backs out of the deal, I will kill his wife and children." the man said, squeezing Paul's injured leg.

"He says we back out of the deal, he's gonna kill—"

The man started dumping a liquid on Bryan and Paul.

"What are you doing? Gasoline!" Bryan exclaims.

"Just repeat what I said." the man said.

"He said if we back out of the deal, he gonna kill Tiffany and the kids." Paul said.

" _Oh, God, Paul, listen to me._ " David began, but he didn't finish because the man lite a match and show it to Bryan and Paul.

"Oh, no, no!" Paul exclaimed.

" _Do whatever he says. We'll go through—_ "

"He says we'll go through with it! We can do it tomorrow! The—The same arrangement. Please don't do this." Paul pleaded, the man wave the match around.

The man blew the match out, shut the door, and walked away.

"Oh, God. Oh, my God, call an ambulance." Bryan groaned in pain.

Paul dialed nine, one, one and got message telling him to please hold for the next available operator.

Paul looked and his worse fear came to pass. "Oh, God. No, please. I promise on my life." Paul said, as the man return and pushed a book of flaming matches through the window. The man walked away as the gasoline ignited and slowly burned the two men alive.

 _A/N: Yes I took the opening from the new Hellboy trailer, but given Deeks history, the line fit perfectly._


	45. The Bet

One week later-

In the morning, I'm sitting at my desk doing paperwork and filling out reports on my laptop, when Kensi fires up the blender. Working on some creation she read in a magazine. It doesn't take long before I find it a distraction; Callen and Sam on the other hand are unfazed by the racket.

I clear my throat. Trying to get Kensi attention, but she doesn't hear it. "Kensi!" I yell over the cacophony that is the blender.

"Yeah?" Kensi asks.

"Kensi can you please blend your super-organic, green, toxin-removing smoothie someplace else?" I ask kindly, turning to look at my beautiful partner.

"Pure, life-giving chlorophyll." Sam said walking to our work station.

"Hey, you guys want one?" Kensi asked.

Sam waved off the offer, and Callen entered with a cup of coffee in his hand as he said. "Real men drink coffee, not fruit smoothies." I snap my fingers in the middle of the sentence I was typing, agreeing with Callen, and then got back to typing.

"Speaking of real men, the recipe for this one is called The Woody." Kensi said.

All three of us give pause at the name of the drink. I stop to make sure I heard Kensi correctly, Callen stared at Kensi, and Sam just chuckled.

"I'm sorry, what? Did you say that's called The Woody?" I ask, turning to face Kensi.

I immediately regret my curiosity getting the better of me as Kensi launches into a longwinded description of the drink. Sam on the other hand was having a field day. "Yes. This delicious blend will enhance every aspect of your life, and, uh, help you stand tall day and night."

Kensi handed me the drink, and against my better judgement I took a sip. "Cheers." I said, just before letting the drink into my mouth.

"Hmm." Kensi said.

One sip, and I almost choke on the drink. "God. What is in there? Taste like actual wood." I said.

"Well, it's not juicing you use the whole fruit so what your tasting are the grape stems." Kensi said nonchalantly.

"You put stems in?" Sam asked, shocked at what he just heard.

 _What the—_ I thought looking up at Kensi who, inadvertently, just attempted to kill me. _If I was human_. I thought.

Kensi looked at Sam, and was making a sad attempt to defend her actions. But to be honest, the whole situation was cute, and hilarious. "The book said to use the whole fruit."

I reach into the glass, and pull out a grape stem that hadn't been shredded by the blender. All Sam could do was laugh. It'd be my luck that Kensi would try this. And I was dumb enough to drink the concoction

"Heh. You realize, that if I was a human, I could have chocked to death?" I asked.

Without missing a beat, Callen said. "On The Woody?"

Kensi brightened up at Callen's comment, and looked over at him with a smirk on her face.

"Always figured Deeks would go out like that." Sam said.

"Except for fact that I can't choke to death." I said. Everybody rolled their eyes, but they weren't prepared for what I was about to say next. "Although, Hetty has one last job for me, and when I finish it, I know one of you two," I say, pointing at Sam and Callen. "Are going to walk up to me and say, "Remember that time, Kensi attempted to kill to you with The Woody."

All that could be heard throughout the main hall was the hysterical laughter of Sam, Callen, and Kensi. That was until Eric whistled. We looked up to see what Eric had.

"Granger wants Sam and Callen in the boat shed." Eric said.

I did not miss the questioning glace that Callen made before the partners left.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boat shed-

When Callen and Sam entered the main hall at the boat shed, they saw that Granger had company.

"Agent Hanna, Agent Callen, this is Interpol Agent Martin Kallstrom." Granger said, introducing the men.

"Nice meeting you." Kallstrom said, shaking Callen and Sam's hand.

"Long way from home." Callen said.

"I rarely work back in Stockholm." Kallstrom said.

"Agent Kallstrom's working a case that might have ties to one of yours." Granger said.

"Last week, two pharmaceutical executives were killed here in Los Angeles." Kallstrom said, bringing up photos of a processed crime scene from the week before.

"They were illegally selling expired medicines. Antibiotics, AIDS medications that were due to be destroyed. Executives got cold feet and were backing out of the deal. The buyer killed the two men and their boss delivered the shipment of pharmaceuticals four hours later." Granger said.

"What's our connection?" Sam asked.

"The M.O. of the killing." Kallstrom said, bringing up photos from past crime scenes. "Burnt car, telephone call. Same M.O.'s used by a French-Moroccan arms-dealing gang, heh, led by uh, Zahid DeGramont." Kallstrom said.

Sam and Callen shared a look before Callen said. "We took out DeGramont and his gang six months ago."

Sam press the intercom and said. "Eric, pull up the take down video on DeGramont."

" _You got it, Sam._ " Eric said.

"I've tracked his M.O. to three continents now. Russia, Brazil and now here." Kallstrom said.

"That's not DeGramont. He's dead." Callen said.

"Then maybe somebody else in his gang." Kallstrom said.

Over the intercom the men heard. " _All right, Sam, here's the surveillance video._ "

The men watched as Sam and Callen shot DeGramont and his two bodyguards. And then a fourth man was shot trying to make an escape.

"Almost everybody in the organization was killed during the takedown." Sam said.

"Well, the only person that lived was a low-level driver, Karim or something. He was shot in the face, but he survived." Callen said.

"Chilas? Ghilas. Karim Ghilas. He pled out. He's in Oakville doing his time." Sam said.

"Maybe he knows someone who would use the same M.O. See, if I can catch the one who killed the pharmaceuticals executives, then I can know for sure if this case is related to the ones I'm working on in Brazil and Russia." Kallstrom said.

"All right, we'll talk to Ghilas. Could we get what you have on other cases?" Callen asked.

"Of course, I'll send you anything you need. Thank you." Kallstrom said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Oakville Correctional Facility-

Sam and Callen were standing with a personnel of Oakville waiting for Ghilas to be brought out, but the man they were shown was not Ghilas. "That's not Ghilas." Callen said.

The woman opened the file. "Name, number, photo ID. That's Ghilas." she said. Sam shook his head that it wasn't Ghilas.

The three of them went to find a computer to make sense of this mistake.

"Karim Ghilas. Incarcerated in Danville Federal Prison hospital ward six months ago and then transferred here to Oakville five months ago." she said.

"That's all the same information, but that's not the guy I shot. He was French, he was taller, he was skinner." Callen said, and then his phone rang. "Yeah, Eric." Callen answered his phone as he stepped away from Sam and the woman.

" _Hey, I just ran the facial recognition. Ugh. The prisoner you just met, his real name is Hector Ramirez._ " Eric said.

" _Five months ago, when Ramirez was due to be released from Danville, a wire transfer of one hundred thousand dollars was made to Ramirez family in Mexico._ " Nell said.

" _And it also looks like a prison administrator named Wundari was paid two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to switch Ghilas and Ramirez's record, just as Ghilas was transferred to Oakville Prison._ " Eric said.

"Need to track down an administrator in Danville named Wundari." Callen said to Sam and the woman.

" _Yeah, you're not going to find him. He quit two days after he received the money and boarded a flight to Indonesia._ " Nell said.

"Don't bother." Callen said, shaking his as he ended the call.

Callen and Sam thanked the woman for her time, and apologized for wasting it as well. When Callen and Sam got back out on the street did Callen asked the obvious question. "Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a driver? Who finances an escape like that?"

"Maybe he threatened to roll on somebody. Maybe he had that kind of money. What do you remember about him?" Sam asked.

Callen mentally flashed back to the day he questioned Ghilas in Danville hospital ward, but nothing of note stood out. "It's funny, most guys would have given up the weapons for less prison time." Callen said.

"Maybe he knew he had another way out." Sam said. Just as Sam was walking back to the car, Callen stopped him. "Sam. I missed something."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Sam and Callen had Nell bring up the video of the take down six months ago, and played it.

"There's DeGramont, Sam shot him first, then his guys go down." Nell said.

"Play it again, Nell. Okay, freeze it. Zoom in on DeGramont and Ghilas, the driver." Callen said. Nell did exactly as she was told, but paused the video. "Keep playing it." Callen said. The video played out again, but only on DeGramont and Ghilas. But what was missed before was DeGramont touched his ear before attacking Sam.

"So it looks like Wundari, the prison administrator, erased all photos of Ghilas." Eric said.

"Well, we must have the N.C.I.S. booking photos, though." Sam said.

"Yeah, their all of a guy with his head covered in bandages." Eric said, as he brought up the picture of Ghilas.

"Great. You think you'd recognize this guy if you saw him again?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Maybe if I heard his voice. Wait a second. Eric, run DeGramont through facial recognition." Callen said.

Eric turn around and ran DeGramont through the database. The picture they got was of DeGramont's autopsy. "All right, we got his autopsy photo, French passport, French driver's license, ID from a paper company he worked at." Eric said.

"Wait a second. Go back." Callen said.

Eric went back one photo. "Right there!" Callen exclaimed.

"That's DeGramont's photo but the name on the card—"

"—Ghilas." Sam said, finishing Eric's sentence.

"He's not giving orders, he's taking them" Callen said.

"The guy making the deal isn't DeGramont." Sam said, making sense of everything that has occurred so far.

"So the driver, the guy I interrogated in the hospital was DeGramont." Callen said.

Callen and Sam went down to the bull pen, and updated Kensi and I on this strange turn of events. Callen was staring at the plasma when he said. "DeGramont posed as the driver. His backstopping was meticulous."

"It went back for years. IDs, passports." Sam said.

"So this guy's the real brains behind the arms-dealing gang." Kensi said.

"These guys were big-time. Explains why he had the cash to buy his way out of prison." I said.

"He switched his identity in the gang. He switched his identity to get out of prison." Kensi said.

"That's his M.O." Sam said.

"He's a chameleon." I said.

"And we don't know what the chameleon looks like." Callen said.

"So you blew it. You had him and you let him go." Granger said.

"DeGramont escaped from prison, that's not on us." Sam said

"This has got nothing to do with you, Agent Hanna. You were not in the hospital when he interrogated this guy. I'll let Agent Kallstrom know that DeGramont, or whatever his name is, is out of prison."

"This on me." Callen said.

"You're damn right it is." Granger said.

"I will find him." Callen said.

"You'd better, because anything he does from now on, including barbecuing those guys in the car, that is also on you." Granger said.

Granger turned to walk away, but Hetty stepping into his path. "I don't know why you were sent here but if you—"

"You really gonna defend your agent on this?" Granger asked, cutting Hetty off.

Hetty was shocked at Granger's stupidity. "He doesn't need defending. But if you're trying to take down my team, you will." She said.

Granger knew full well that Hetty is not one to mince words, so he walked away.

"Deeks, I want to see what L.A.P.D—"

"Has on the two dead pharmaceutical executives. Yeah, I'm on it. Don't wait for me, go. It's gonna be waiting for you in the evidence garage." I said, dialing my L.A.P.D. stationhouse.

"Kensi, have Kallstrom meet us there." Callen said, as he and Sam were leaving.

"Got it." Kensi said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

L.A.P.D. evidence garage-

Sam and Callen were putting on gloves as they walked up to the burned out car. Kallstrom was already waiting for them, and had gloves on already.

"There's the car. And all the evidence the L.A.P.D. has shared with me." Kallstrom said.

"Not much burned." Callen said.

"Not much gasoline. They were unconscious but alive when the ambulance showed up." Kallstrom said.

"That's a bad way to go." Sam said.

"Ah, it's an intimidation tactic, not a, what do you call it, a hit." Kallstrom said.

"What do the cops think they used to start the fire?" Sam asked.

"Well, the window was open like it is now. Must have pushed something through." Kallstrom said.

"Like a match or a little piece of paper." Sam said.

"Mm-hm." Kallstrom said.

"What would you do?" Callen asked.

"If the ignitor didn't hit the gas immediately?" Sam asked. Sam made a stomping motion with his right leg and said. "Stomp it out."

Callen opened the driver's door, and check the floor in front of the driver's seat. "No, nothing here." Callen said.

Sam went through the chain of evidence, looking for the shoe used to stomp out the ignitor. "Hey. That could be a match book." Sam said, point at the shred of paper on the ball of the left shoe.

"Let's send it to Eric." Callen said.

Sam showed the bottom of the shoe to Kallstrom, and nodded his agreement.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

"You make anything out of this?" Callen asked Eric. The four of us were staring at the big screen as Eric was trying to piece together the fragments off the bottom of the shoe.

"Two thousand three Oklahoma State High School Jigsaw Puzzle Champ." Eric said.

"You shouldn't tell people that." Sam said with a smirk.

"What does it matter? Aw, you guys, this brings back memories of tea and cookies with my Gammy. She used to teach me how to do puzzles." Eric said.

 _What?_ I thought with attempting to keep a straight face, but failing slightly. Kensi on the other hand dropped her face into her hand to keep from laughing.

"Oh, you're right. Doesn't matter." Sam cut in. He even winked at Eric.

Eric didn't let Sam's remark bother him. Eric revealed in the memories of spending time with his grandma. Which was cut short when Nell walked into the room. "Courtesy of our friends at Homeland Security, I just sent you the audio of the call from the executives last week." Nell said.

"Open it up, Eric." Callen said.

Eric placed the tablet on the desk to open the file. Nell picked the tablet to finish the puzzle. "Okay, let's see. Uh, this goes here, these two flip. Up once more." Nell mumbled.

"Um, it's my puzzle." Eric said, as he played the audio file.

"Enhance the shooters voice." Callen said.

As soon as the shooter started speaking, I broke out in a cold sweat and then I felt the rage start to course through my body. The man that killed the two pharmaceutical executives was none other than Jack the Ripper. I failed to school my features at first because I know Nell saw my face contort. Kensi noticed Nell's look of concern, and then looked at me. But she didn't get to ask what the problem was because Sam said. "Russian."

"The accent is eastern, it's urban, it's most likely Moscow. When I talked to DeGramont in the hospital, he had a lower-class French accent. Eric, open Agent Kallstrom's record of the Russian hit that matched the L.A. M.O." Callen said.

"Maybe Kallstrom's Russian guy came to L.A." Sam said.

"Ah. I got the word 'Edison.'" Nell said.

"Edison." Callen said complementing Nell's work.

"Great work, Nell." Sam chimed in.

"Thanks." Nell said.

Eric was upset that Nell stole from him something he was passionate about. "I'm supposed to be the puzzle master." Eric said.

I need to talk to Hetty about her sidelining me six months ago. It was at that moment that I realize why I know the name Edison. "There's actually a club called The Edison." I said.

"Yes, I know it." Kensi said.

 _I really need to speak to Hetty alone._ I thought. "Yeah, I probably know it better. In fact, I'm gonna go check that out by myself." I said, and started to leave.

Kensi grabbed my arm, and babbled something incoherent to keep me from walking away. "Wait, come back here. Let me guess, there's a crazy ex-girlfriend involved." Kensi said

 _She's not my girlfriend, we went on one date, but I don't bother with telling the truth._ I thought as I ran with Kensi train of thought. "With anger/jealousy/trust/more anger issues. That and the fact I told her my partner was a bald fifty-year-old fat man, which… you clearly are not." I said, giving Kensi a once over.

"You lied to her." Kensi accused me.

"Yeah, just to make her happy." I said, and then exited Ops.

I made a beeline for the ground floor, but I didn't see Hetty in her office

"Can I help you, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

I turn around, and see her standing behind me, and I let her have it. "Hetty, DeGramont, the man that escaped prison, is the same man that I have been chasing, with your help, since I left London in nineteen-fourteen." I said.

It took Hetty a few moments for my words to register. When she was ready to respond, Hetty opened her mouth but no words came out. Hetty closed her mouth to think about her actions six months ago.

"I've been chasing that man, Jack the Ripper, for a hundred and twenty-two years, just to have him slip through my fingers six months ago." I said.

Hetty lowered her head in shame, and I turned to leave.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The Edison-

As I'm walking down the stairs to the main bar, I'm still fuming about Hetty's massive blunder with letting Jack get away, but I have to put that aside to talk to this pissed off woman. I clear my throat, which sets the woman off.

"N.C.I.S." I said, flashing my badge.

She looks at my badge. "You got a lot of nerve coming in here." she said, pausing mid chop of the lemons for tonight's drinks.

"Hello, Erin." I said, trying to keep things peaceful, but I doubt that will work.

"Sneaking out of a dinner so I have to pay the tab." she said.

"In all fairness, I gave the waiter a hundred dollars and you were trying to pepper spray me." I said.

Erin stopped chopping lemons and started to approach me with the knife.

"And now I'm here on official government business so if you stab me, it's gonna be considered assaulting a federal agent." I say quickly.

Erin's mood soured even more, but her manager saved me, per se. "What's this about?" he asked, walked up to me.

I pull out the blurry picture of Jack on my phone and show it to him. "We're looking for this guy." I said.

"And you think he was in here?" he asked.

"I do. He's wanted in connection with a double murder. So any information you have would be helpful." I said.

"Sorry, I don't recognize him." he said.

"You sure about that?" I asked, and looking away for a split second

"Yeah, sure." The manager said, and then walked away.

I saw two more people, a man and a woman, behind the counter prepping for tonight's business. "What about you guys, huh? You know this guy?" I asked. The guy turned and walked away, but the woman was shaking her head. "Nothing." I said.

The man didn't even look at the photo. "Hey, you didn't even look at it." I said to the man.

"Can't see anything in that photo." he said.

I show the photo to Erin, who keeps chopping the lemons, before I speak. "Erin, can you please look at the photo?" I said.

Erin looked at me, frustrated that I wouldn't leave her alone, and then looked at the photo. "I don't know." she said, and then went back to chopping lemons.

"They said he could possibly have a French or Russian accent." I said, hoping that it would jog her memory.

This gets her attention. Erin looked at the photo, again and tried to remember if she saw this man. "There was a guy it could be. Sounded Russian. Saw him again, he dyed his hair blond, and he sounded, what did you say?" she asked.

"French. Why'd you think it was the same guy?" I asked

"He only like girls with serious ink." She said.

I grinned because Erin placed Jack being here. "Okay. Um… Thank you for looking. I appreciate it really." I said with a straight face.

"I hope you get paralyzed in car accident." Erin said.

I chuckle at Erin's statement, and then she returns to chopping the lemons. "Okay. You, uh… You look fantastic. You're still obviously crazy. But-" I was cut off when Erin grab a piece of lemon and threw it at me. I look back at Erin and continue. "I'm gonna leave that and just go."

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boat shed-

Kallstrom is going through his files to see if there is anything about an affinity for tattoos. He struck pay dirt. "Oh, yes. An affinity for tattoos is one of the details provided to me by the Brazilian police." Kallstrom said.

"So, what else? He's got a scar on his cheek, he's facile in several languages—" Granger began, but was cut off.

"I don't think he is." Callen said. Sam was looking through the files that Kallstrom provided, while Kensi was standing near the wall. "On all the recordings, he required them to use English." Callen continued

"He always pretends to be a foreigner and then uses English as a common language." Sam said, following Callen's train of thought.

"An accent's a lot easier than being fluent in a language." Kensi said.

"And it gives the appearance of having a gang or an organization but it's really just hired guys doing one-offs." Sam finished the train of thought.

"He has an amazing ability for physical transformation." Callen said.

Kallstrom leaned in and said. "You seemed impressed with him."

"I've spent my whole life pretending to be somebody I'm not." Callen said.

"Perhaps he's better at it than you." Kallstrom said.

Callen turned around and looked Kallstrom in his eyes for a few seconds. "Maybe. Until I catch him." Callen said.

"Confident." Kallstrom said.

"Resolute." Callen said.

Kallstrom is tickled by Callen's overconfidence, but let it go. "So if this is all one man in Brazil, Russia, and now here, then, uh, this chameleon has worked in all kinds of criminal enterprises, huh? Arms trading, black-market pharmaceuticals and counterfeit currencies. Really?" Kallstrom asked.

"Really." Callen said.

"Why's he staying L.A.?" Granger asked.

"He's acquired the pharmaceuticals, and doesn't want to leave before he moves them." Sam said.

"Meds have an expiration date. The longer they don't move—" Callen started.

"The less valuable they are. According to records from the pharmaceuticals company, right now he could get over six million dollars for them. In a month, they'll be worth half that." Kensi said.

While Callen pulled out his phone, Sam asked. "Who's he sell them to?"

"Expired meds usually go to the black markets. Mostly Third World countries." Kensi said.

Callen called OPS and Eric answered the phone. " _Hello._ "

"Eric, look into the banks from developing countries that have consulates located in Los Angeles. Looking for large transactions. Four to six million dollars." Callen said.

" _Got it._ " Eric said, and then hung up.

"Kensi." Callen said.

"Undercover, Edison club. I'll get some tats, see if we get lucky, draw him out." Kensi said.

"Going undercover with this man is not a good idea." Kallstrom said.

"Agent Blye is excellent at what she does." Callen said.

"This chameleon is a sociopath He will kill instantly if he has to." Kallstrom said to Kensi.

"And so will I." Kensi said.

Granger gave Kensi a pointed looked when she said that she would kill the chameleon if necessary.

"Then I hope you tattoos are pretty because you might get buried with them." Kallstrom warned.

"Only ones doing any burying around here is going to be us. Let's get this thing started." Callen said, as he, Sam, and Kensi exited the boat shed.

"Agent Callen." Kallstrom said. Callen stopped, and turned to hear what Kallstrom had to say. "This chameleon is always one level deeper than you think. And when you look him in the eye, it won't be him" Kallstrom continued.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Club Edison-

Callen had just left the car to come into the bar when I said. " _That's not a good idea._ "

" _We need to keep Kallstrom from entering the bar._ " Sam said.

" _That may be true, but I have concerns about Kallstrom._ " I said.

"Why is that?" Callen asked as he entered the club.

" _I've worked with dozens of Interpol agents in my illustrious career with the agency, and not a single one of them sported a full beard._ " I said.

" _Maybe he's undercover._ " Kensi said

" _Doesn't matter. Not one agent had a beard. Whether they were undercover or not, and has anybody even reached out to Interpol to ask them to confirm Kallstrom's legitimacy?_ " I asked.

"Why would we do that?" Callen asked after he order a drink at the bar. Callen had a clear line of sight on both me and Kensi.

" _We're chasing a guy who thinks he's a chameleon, and he likes to hire people to do his dirty work while he stays in the shadows. I'm calling it now: fifty bucks says the chameleon hired someone else to show up. One hundred dollars says that chameleon's on sight, but doesn't enter the club._ " I said.

Kensi was talking to a random patron of the club, but he didn't match the description of the man we were after. "Lose him." Callen said.

Kensi comes up with some whacked out excuse, and it makes the man leave in a hurry. " _You are good at scaring them off._ " I said.

" _That's too bad. I liked him._ " Kensi said.

" _Really? How can you fall for that? There's obviously just one thing on that guy's mind._ " I said, not even bothering to hide the outrage in my voice.

" _How's that any different from somebody like say, you, Deeks?_ " Sam asked.

I could hear Callen chuckle to himself. It's amazing how these people have never asked the prevalent question—what my history with Kensi was in my past life—but I answer Sam's question instead. " _Well, first off, I would have been successful._ " I said.

Callen saw Kensi lower her head, getting lost in the music and the conversation. That was until I said that I would have been successful in picking her up.

" _In picking me up?_ " Kensi asked, raising her head when she realized that shots had been fired.

" _Uh-huh. We'd be in the car right now, heading home. You'd be drunk, sitting on my lap, telling me I'm gonna wake up with bite marks on my neck._ " I said. Callen saw me exaggerate the words _bite marks_ when I spoke.

" _Too much information._ " Sam said, not wanting the mental image of me getting overly friendly with Kensi stuck in his head.

" _Except for the fact you're not my type._ " I said nonchalantly.

" _I am too your type._ " Kensi said, the words were out of her mouth before she realized that she said them. From his place on the other side of the bar, Callen could see Kensi's eyes get as big as saucers when she realized what she had just said.

" _I'm sorry, what? Can I get confirmation that we just heard that?_ " I asked.

Callen was having a field day watching Kensi and I digging the hole for Kensi to fall into. " _I did not mean it that way and you know it._ " Kensi said, rubbing her forehead at her indiscretion.

" _I heard it._ " Sam said.

"I heard it too." Callen said.

" _Are we recording this because I would love to use this as my ringtone?_ " I said.

What happens next is a blur because I know that somebody was checking Kensi out. Next thing I know we're outside behind the club with some random dude in zip ties.

"Is this a joke?" the man asked.

Callen reach for the man's face to check for a scar. "There's no scar." Callen said.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kensi said.

"What do you got?" Callen asked, when he saw pull out the man's wallet.

"Rinaldo Maggio." Sam said

"Yo, man, listen me, I didn't do anything." Rinaldo said.

"You assaulted a federal agent." Kensi said testily.

"What are you talking about? You set me up." Rinaldo said.

"She told you to pull out a knife?" Sam asked.

"That's what her husband said she wanted." Rinaldo said.

"What?" Kensi asked.

"The Kevinslist ad. You wanted a man with a thick beard and an Italian accent, right? Take you outside the club and cut off your panties. Listen it's in the emails. I'm not even Italian." Rinaldo said.

"Someone owes me a hundred and fifty dollars." I said.

"He set us up. He wanted us to be here." Callen said.

"This guy's just some creep that answered an adult personal." I said.

"Yeah, and her husband's here watching somewhere, all right?" Rinaldo asked.

"Crap!" I said. Jack knows that I'm working with Callen.

"What's wrong?" Kensi asked.

But I didn't answer. "He's stalking us." Callen said.

"Take him home. Get his laptop, check his story." Sam said.

"Take it easy, man." Rinaldo said.

Callen and Sam were still in the alley trying to figure out why the chameleon wanted them to be there. "How did he know we were gonna be here?" Callen asked.

At that moment, the phone in Sam's hand beeped. "It's Maggio's phone. It's a video text. Why would Kallstrom text this guy?" Sam asked.

"That's not from Kallstrom. Play it." Callen said.

The video was of Kallstrom being burned alive in a car, like the three other cases prior to this.


	46. And THe Payout

OPS-

Hetty, Nell, and Eric were in Ops going over important information that they just found, when Granger came storming in.

"Callen just got an Interpol Agent killed. I'm taking over the investigation." Granger said.

"I'm aware of what occurred and I doubt Agent Callen is responsible. Although I do agree with Agent Deeks assertion about the legitimacy of Kallstrom's agent status." Hetty said.

"He was running the operations when Kallstrom was killed. Hetty, you and I go a long way back, but this has gone off the rails." Granger said.

"Just for the record, I have complete confidence in Agent Callen." Hetty said.

Granger gave Hetty a pointed glance, and then spoke to Eric. "I need Interpol in Stockholm informed about the death of Agent Kallstrom."

"Already done." Eric said.

"Eric bring up the DeGramont video." Callen said, as the four of us entered

"Assistant Director Granger has taken control of the investigation." Hetty said, informing of the change in leadership for the remainder of the case.

"Fine, but I'm bumping up my bet from one hundred and fifty dollars to three hundred dollars because when we find the real Kallstrom he will be in his hotel room tied to a chair with his mouth cover with tape, and his throat slit. And the Kallstrom we had be interacting with was an imposter put in place by Ja—The Chameleon to keep tabs on this investigation." I said.

Kensi gave me a sideways glance when I stumbled in the middle of my statement, but Callen and Sam spoke before Kensi could. The partner's shared a look, and then said. "You're on."

Granger gave me a dirty look, but Eric raised his hand attempting to share what he found before Granger came in throwing a temper tantrum. "Uh, ahem, I'd like to say that—"

"You don't get a say." Granger said cutting Eric off.

"Oh, I'd hear Mr. Beale out." Hetty said testily.

"It's not about the, uh, who's-in-charge-of-the-case thing. But I believe that the chameleon's payout for the pharmaceuticals has come in. I just got a hit for a five million dollar cash withdrawal from the Nigerian Consulate's bank account." Eric continued.

Nell also raised her hand timidly. "Don't raise your hand." Granger said.

"I traced the email used to place the adult personal ad on Kevinslist to a café in Santa Monica. Address is on your phones." Nell said.

"If you trust your people, it kind of runs itself." Hetty said with a smirk.

Granger gave Hetty a look, and then turn to give us our orders. "Deeks and Kensi with me, we'll take the Nigerian Consulate. Callen and Sam, take the café."

 _Why do we have to go with Granger?_ I thought to myself.

Hetty and Callen shared a look, and then we left to go rundown our leads we were given.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Nigerian consulate-

Kensi, Granger, and I were standing outside the Nigerian consulate getting the run around. "I don't know anything about the sale of pharmaceuticals." the person in charge of operations, flanked by his assistant, at the consulate said.

"Could look at this photo and see if you can—" Granger said reaching for his phone.

"I don't want to look at any photos. I want you to leave. This is property of the Nigerian government." the man said.

I heard a vehicle driving up behind us. "We got a van." I said.

"It's got diplomatic plates." Kensi said.

"Don't let it on the property." Granger ordered.

Kensi and I drew our weapons, moving to intercept the van.

I was the first one to the driveway. "Federal agents!" Kensi announced.

"Turn it off. Put your hands up and step out of the vehicle." I ordered.

The driver turned the engine off, and then the two men got out of the van.

"You have no right to stop our truck." the man from the consulate said.

Granger was pleased to hear the man say this. "So you're taking ownership of anything we find inside?" Granger asked.

Granger saw the look on the man's face. It was the look of a man who was aware of illegal activity that had been carried out. _Gotcha._ Granger thought, and then turned back to await what his agent had found.

Kensi opened the back door on the van, and swept the compartment to make sure there was nobody back there, while I held to the men who were in the van at gun point. When Kensi came from behind the she was holding a container.

"What do we got Kens?" I asked.

"Clarithromycin, it's an antibiotic." Kensi said.

"That means the deals already gone down." I said.

The man in charge of the consulate and his assistant start to walk towards the consulate attempting to avoid the fallout of purchased of expired medicines.

"I need to talk to you." Granger said, before the two men could get too far.

"You can talk to our lawyers." The man, as Granger approached.

"Look, we're not concerned about the medication. We need to know who you bought them from. He's brutally killed several men. Please." Granger said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

"Yes?" Nell said answering the phone.

" _I'm requesting a video conference._ " the man on the other end said.

"It's a video request from Interpol Sweden. An Agent Johan Linderoth." Nell said.

Eric who had been messing around with his tablet, perked up at the mention of Interpol Sweden. "That's who I contacted, bring it up." Eric said, putting his earpiece in.

It took Nell a few second to put the conference through. Nell stepped over to Eric as the call went live, and the pair were look at a mild-aged man. "Agent Linderoth." Eric said.

" _Mr. Beale? We received your information about the death of Agent Martin Kallstrom._ " Agent Linderoth.

"Yes, you have our condolences." Eric said.

"I _have some very disturbing news. The man in the video is not Agent Kallstrom._ " Agent Linderoth said.

Nell gave Eric a knowing look. I did say that the man who was calling himself Agent Kallstrom was not Agent Kallstrom, but a man pretending to being Agent Kallstrom.

"Are you sure?" Eric asked.

" _Yes, very. I'm sending you a photo of the real Agent Kallstrom right now._ " Agent Linderoth said.

A picture appear off to the side of the screen showing a man who looked nothing like the man we were working with, and, as I stated earlier, was clean shaven.

"Where is the real Agent Kallstrom, then?" Eric asked.

" _We've been trying to make contact with him but we have heard nothing._ " Agent Linderoth said.

"We'll get back to you." Eric said, ending the video conference.

"Deeks did say that Kallstrom was an impostor." Nell said, as they sat down.

"Not the time for that. And I wasn't dumb enough to bet against Deeks." Eric said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The café-

The barista took one look at the photo of the chameleon, and said. "I couldn't tell you anything from that photo." he said.

"He was using the Internet. Most likely, had an accent." Callen said.

"There are four large hotels around here. I get people from all over the world." he said.

"Excuse us. Yeah, Eric? " Callen said, when he heard his earpiece beep.

" _We just received a call from Interpol. The man who died in that car is not Agent Kallstrom._ " Eric said.

Sam and Callen shared a knowing look. "Get me video footage of Agent Kallstrom from the security cams at the boat shed." Callen said.

" _Already sent it, and the photo of the real Agent Kallstrom._ " Nell said.

Sam got the photo of the fake Kallstrom and showed it to the barista. "What about this man?" Sam asked.

"Him, I know. Came here two or three times, mostly mornings." he said.

"He mention where he was staying?" Sam asked.

"No. Ordered coffee, worked on his computer. Tell the truth, I think he was here this morning." the barista said.

Sam and Callen shared a knowing look. "Thank you." Callen said.

"Thanks." Sam said

Then partners walked towards the door, as Callen said. "All right, so _he's_ alive. He faked the flames in that video somehow."

"My guess is, if he came in here two or three, he's close to here." Sam said.

Callen had an off the wall idea that he didn't think would work, but decided to run with it. Callen pull out his phone, and dialed a number.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Taking a shot," Callen said, as he hit send and place the phone to his ear.

The phone rang a few times before Callen heard. " _Hello there, Agent Callen._ "

Callen signal for Sam to contact OPS. "Eric, trace the call on Callen's phone." Sam said.

" _Got it._ " Eric said.

"You sound alive and well." Callen said.

" _Very much. But the man you know as Kallstrom will soon disappear. Gone like smoke._ " the man said.

In the partner's earpieces, they heard. " _Okay, we got a location. The Miramar Hotel. It's right next door to you._ " Eric said.

Sam and Callen tore out of the café, while Callen was still on the phone.

" _It's quite funny because you seemed smarter to me. Heh. But you have nothing._ " he said.

"What if I told you that I had an opportunity for us to work together?" Callen asked.

" _Lying, are we, trying to trace my call? Heh. Oh, I'll save you the trouble. This phone cannot be traced._ " he said.

"You're missing a good opportunity." Callen said, as he and Sam walking up to the front door of the hotel.

" _You're a joke that is no longer funny. How do you say, goodbye, sucker._ " The man said, and then ended the call.

Callen stared at his phone momentarily. Sam looked at Callen, who was still staring at his phone. Callen looked at the door leading into the hotel, and decided to take a gamble. The partners entered the hotel, and jogged up to the front desk. Sam and Callen pulled out their badges as they approached the front desk.

"Federal agents. Looking for this man." Callen said, showing his badge, and then the picture of the fake Kallstrom to the front desk clerk. "Maybe registered under the name Kallstrom.

"Kallstrom." The woman said, and then got on the computer to look up his room number. "He's here. Room ten thirty-five." she said.

"We need the keycard now." Sam said.

The woman grabbed the spare keycard for the room and handed it over. Sam and Callen made their way up to room ten thirty-five.

When they got to the floor, Sam and Callen spotted one woman from housekeeping making her rounds.

"Clear the hall please." Sam said, as they jogged past her.

The partner's approached the door, and prepared to enter, but not before Sam knocked on the door and Callen saying "Room service."

The partner's entered the room, but Callen was shocked to see the dead man in the room. It looked like the real Agent Kallstrom, and he was tied to a chair with tape over his mouth and his throat was slit. Callen looked over at Sam.

"Clear!" Sam said, not finding any bad guys in the bathroom.

The partner's stared at the dead man for a few seconds longer before Callen said, pulling out his phone. "Well… Meet the real Agent Kallstrom."

Sam looked at the picture briefly. "Don't even say it." Sam said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Callen said, as he looked for Kallstrom's brief case.

Callen found the briefcase, and started digging through it. He gave at least one file to Sam, but he went looking or Kallstrom's Interpol credentials. Callen had been searching for about five minutes before something didn't track with Sam.

"I don't understand. The phone call was traced here." Sam said.

"Yeah, he said it couldn't be traced." Callen said.

"Doesn't make sense." Sam said, still trying to figure it. Sam changed the subject to something they could figure out. "You find any of his Interpol IDS, passport?" Sam asked.

"No. This guy, this guy, the real Agent Kallstrom tracked a chameleon hallway around the world." Callen said.

"Then when Kallstrom got to L.A., the chameleon killed him and assumed his identity." Sam said.

"His accent was too real." Callen said, bothered that the accent was too good to be faked.

"Could he be that good?" Sam asked

Callen didn't want to admit that he had been outplayed for the second time. "I don't know." Callen said.

"He doctored Kallstrom's IDs with his own photos." Sam said.

"Walked right into our case." Callen said.

"With a police escort from Granger." Sam said, rolling his eyes at the assistant director's mistake.

"And these are all the Interpol case files on the chameleon." Callen said.

"Now the chameleon knows everything that the police in Russia and Brazil know about him." Sam said.

"He also knows everything we know about him." Callen added.

"Not good." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS-

Nell, Eric, myself, and Granger were staring at the big screen, when Granger heard the doors open and Kensi enter.

"Okay. Got it. Callen and Sam are going down to check the surveillance video. Is this the, uh, pharmaceutical sale to the Nigerians?" Kensi asked.

"Warehouse security cam. It's not helping." Eric said.

"Who's the guy in the middle?" Kensi asked.

"This is like all the chameleon's other jobs. He's just a hired hand." Granger said, and I glance at him momentarily. The man on the screen reached up and brushed his hair with his hand. "There." Granger said.

"He's got an earwig. That's got to be the chameleon in the van." Kensi said.

"Eric can you zoom in on the driver and freeze it?" I asked. Eric complied with my request, and brought up a crap image of the driver. "That could be a match. It could be the same guy from the arms deal six months ago." I said.

"He's pretending to be the driver again." Kensi said.

"He knows where the camera is, keeps his distance." Nell said.

"Eric, pull up the still of the fake Kallstrom." Kensi said. I heard the door open, and I knew it could be only one person. Eric brought up the photo of the fake Kallstrom. "It could be the same guy, but…" Kensi said, trailing off.

"This guy's very, very good." Granger said.

"Mm-hm. Good enough to have fooled you." I said, with a smirk on my face.

I see Kensi and Eric look at me, while Nell had decided to look intently at the floor. Everybody in the room was thinking the same thing, but didn't have the guts to say it out loud. Granger turn to look me in the eye, but Hetty decided to announce her presence at that moment.

"You were the one who brought Kallstrom in here." Hetty said. Granger turned to look at Hetty. "You blew it. You had him and you let him go." Hetty said, echoing Granger from the beginning of the case when Callen admitted to letting the chameleon escape.

I turned to look at the big screen, and cracked the biggest smile, savoring the fact that Granger screwed up big time.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Miramar Hotel-

Callen and Sam were in the security office going over the records of keycard usage. "According to the keycard access record, last time anybody entered room ten thirty-five was two hours ago." one of the security personnel said.

Callen called Kensi, while Sam was standing over the shoulder of another security personnel who had brought the camera that was trained on room ten thirty-five up on his computer screen. " _Callen?_ " Kensi said.

"Kensi?" Callen said.

" _Yeah?_ " Kensi said.

"When did the pharmaceuticals sale go down?" Callen asked.

" _Uh, timecode on the video, around two hours ago._ " Kensi said.

"And you're sure he was there." Callen asked.

" _No, I'm not sure about anything with this guy, but it looks the same person we busted six months ago._ " Kensi said.

"All right. Thanks." Callen said, ending the call.

"Here he is, going in about two hours ago." Sam said.

Callen and the other security personnel rounded the desk to see the fake Kallstrom standing outside the real Kallstrom's door fumbling with a keycard.

"Card doesn't work." Sam said.

"He's got a second card." Callen said.

"He has a card to another room in this hotel. That's why it didn't work." Sam said.

Following that train of thought, Callen asked. "Can you get us the room number off the card that didn't work?"

"Yeah." the man said, and then walked back over to his computer.

"The phone trace was right." Sam said, as the partner's walked over to other computer.

"But why did he think we couldn't trace him?" Callen asked.

"That's a good question." Sam said, wondering about that himself.

"The wrong card is from ten twenty-two." the man said.

"He's here." Sam said.

The card was issued, and the partner's went to bust the culprit. The partner's grabbed their guns, and then Callen inserted the key card into the reader. They shared a look, and then Callen removed the keycard. The partner's bust in the room with their guns drawn.

"Hands in the air!" Callen ordered.

"How did you find me?" the man asked.

"Turn around slowly." Callen ordered.

"Turn around." Sam said, preparing to put zip ties on fake Kallstrom's hands.

"Hold him still." Callen said.

Callen reached out, and turned the man's head to the right to see there was no scar on his right lower lip. "There's no scar. It's not him." Callen said, shocked at this turn of events.

"Wait a second, you think I'm him? No, he hired me and, uh… He said the phone was untraceable. He's setting me up. I'm not, uh, uh, him" the man said, as he fell to the ground.

"Call an ambulance." Callen said, kneeling down to check for vital signs.

Sam dialed nine-one-one, and it only rang once before he heard a woman's voice say. " _Nine-one one emergency._ "

"I need a recue at the Miramar Hotel." Sam said.

" _All right, sir, what's the nature of you emergency?_ " she asked.

Callen shook his head, and Sam just ended the call. At that moment there was a call on Callen's phone. Callen pulled his phone out, and saw that it was a blocked number. Callen didn't know any blocked numbers, so he was at a loss on what he should do. So he answered the call anyways. "Hello?"

All Callen could hear was heavy breathing on the other end of the line. "You gonna say something?" Callen asked.

" _I recommend the fish at this hotel. I hear it's… killer._ " The Chameleon said.

Sam and Callen looked down at the plate and saw that the man had eaten the _fish_. "Yeah, well, it didn't go over to well with you friend." Callen said.

" _Not my friend. An employee. Con man, three days out of a Swedish prison. He couldn't pass up a very lucrative job: impersonating an Interpol agent._ " he said.

"Well, I guess, you won't have to pay him now, will you?" Callen asked, sarcastically.

" _My mouth still doesn't work right. I can't breathe, I can't sleep. My brain throbs, thanks to the bullet you put in my head._ " he said.

"My heart breaks for you." Callen said.

" _Agent G Callen, I know where you work. I know where you live. I know who you care about._ " he said.

"What do you want?" Callen asked.

" _One day, I'm going to kill you. Soon. That's all I live for. It's all I care about._ " The Chameleon said.

At that moment Callen heard something, and then tried to place it when he hung up. "I heard something in the back ground." Callen said.

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"The pool." Callen said, and then rushed out onto the balcony. The partner's looked to down to see that they had just missed The Chameleon. Callen just stared off into the distance.

"Hey. What did he say?" Sam asked.

"That he's going to kill me." Callen said.

"Heard that before." Sam said.

"Yeah. But this guy's pretty good." Callen said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: armory-

Granger came down from his office, to see Hetty and Callen waiting for him. "Why'd ask me over here?" Granger asked.

"I need to know why N.C.I.S. sent you here." Hetty said.

"Well, the thing is, Hetty, I don't have to answer to you." Granger said.

"Oh, I think you do. You brought Kallstrom in here." Callen corrected Granger.

"And that one is on me, Agent Callen." Granger said.

"And it may be enough to get you not only out of our office, but maybe out of N.C.I.S. completely." Callen said.

"Don't threaten me." Granger challenged.

"Of all the people to piss off Granger, you went and piss off Deeks. A man who can't die. You really should have done a better job with that." Callen said.

"Are you trying to bring down my team?" Hetty asked.

"Come on, Hetty, you know me." Granger said, smugly.

"Oh, yes, I do." Hetty chuckled at Granger's arrogance. Hetty then asked the question again. "Are you trying to bring down my team?"

"No. Absolutely not. Your unit is one of the best NCIS has. You know there would have been a time you would have trusted me." Granger said.

"That was a very long time ago. Why are you here?" Hetty asked.

There was a moment of silence before Granger said. "I'm here to catch a killer."

"Does that killer happen to be connected to Kensi trip to Hawaii?" Callen asked.

"This above your paygrade Agent Callen." Granger warned.

"I don't need to be read in. I can connect the dots myself. After our first case, you told Kensi to stay out of Hawaii. Recently, I've noticed you scoping out Ops. Which can mean only one thing: Nell is digging into Kensi past. If Nell knows, then I have to assume that Deeks has some knowledge what that is about. Whether Deeks told Nell to dig, or Nell started digging herself and then told Deeks about her findings, the jury is still on either options." Callen said.

Granger is an unflappable man, Callen knows he hit the nail on the head. It was then that Callen realized something about his team. Actually, it was something that I said when they first met. Something about seeing ghosts. "I'm going to threaten you now." Callen said.

This even got Hetty's attention. "You better find that killer because if anything were to happen Kensi, even if it were a split end, Deeks will be coming for you." Callen said. What Callen didn't say was that I had a romantic relationship with someone that looked like Kensi in his past, which made him wonder if I had been involved with The Sparrow while she was still alive. Callen didn't get to tell Hetty or Granger this, but if he had to guess Hetty knew that I was romantically attached to Kensi, because Sam bursts into room unannounced.

"Yo, G, payday came early for Deeks, and he said that he was taking people out for drinks. Kensi, Nell and Eric are in, and you know I won't turn down free drinks. You in?" Sam asked.

"Yep." Callen said, and then walked away.

"You want in, Hetty?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I am." Hetty said, knowing full well that the check is being paid by money that Granger forked over.

Granger didn't say anything. He just turned and left.

"What's wrong with Granger?" Sam asked.

"He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar." Callen said.

"No. Granger is the reason payday came earlier for Mr. Deeks." Hetty correct Callen.

Sam and Callen laughed at Granger's misfortune.


	47. Oscar Sierra Part I

"So, you've never been dumped?" Kensi asked, as we entered the boatshed.

"What part of _never_ don't you understand?" I asked.

"I don't believe you." she said.

"Uh, that's understandable considering your track record. But honestly, look at me, huh?" I said.

"Oh." she said.

 _Shots fired._ I thought, but continued. "I mean, how could you break up with this, you know? I'm super fun. I'm like three hundred and sixty-five days of heaven." I said.

"Heaven? See, I was thinking south and much, much, much hotter." She countered.

"So, like, Mexico?" I asked.

"Let me guess. You're the "senses the breakup, initiates preemptive strike" guy." she said.

 _Is she really that dense?_ I thought, but yet again, I run with Kensi train of thought. "Yeah, well. It's much better to be the breaker than the breakee, I think." I said.

"You're just broken, Deeks." Kensi said.

 _That's what happens when you die and leave you wife and kids behind. All though I did fall in love with my wife's double._ I thought, but said. "Yeah, well, no argument there. Uh, what are we doing here? Where are the guys?"

"I don't actually know. I got a page from Ops to meet here." she said.

"What, are they hiding? Are you guys hiding, huh? You throwing me a surprise party?" I asked.

"You do it's not your birthday, right." she said.

"Which is why it would be so surprising." I said.

Then we heard a voice over the intercom. "A _gent Blye, could you come in, please?_ " Granger asked.

"You invited Granger?" I asked, my mind wondering what this could be about, but I pretty sure what this is about.

"Yeah." she said, sarcastically.

"Kensi!" I said, placing as much distress in my voice I could.

"What?" she asked.

"You know that old saying it's better to ask forgiveness than permission?" I asked.

"Yeah." she said, turning back to me. One look at me and she knew that I did something I wasn't supposed to do. "What did you do?"

"Remember how I asked you what those trips to Hawaii were about?" I asked.

Kensi got extremely pissed off. "You had Nell dig into my past?" she asked.

"Yes, and to be fair Granger is going to pin at least five deaths on you because all you did was ask a few questions." I said.

Kensi gave me a shocked look, all though the disgust was still on her face.

"It's all circumstantial evidence, but all the men you questioned all died because the brake line on their cars had been blown out. You want to know the worse part about this?" I asked.

"What?" she asked.

"The entire time you were investigating your father's death, Granger was giving you the information you wanted, in hopes that you would lead him to the killer." I said.

It took Kensi a few moments for my words to register, but when they did she glared in Granger's direction.

"This conversation never happened." I said.

"Uh-huh." Kensi said, and we walked towards Interrogation room One.

Granger glared at me when we entered the room, and I returned his glare in kind.

"You can go, and you can have a seat." Granger said.

I gave Granger a question looking as Kensi turned to look at me, and then I asked. "You good?"

"Yeah." Kensi said.

"All right." I said, as I exited and shut the door behind me.

Kensi walked towards the right side of the table, not wanting to tip her hand that she had been warned about what was going to happen.

"Other side, Agent Blye." Granger said.

Kensi stared at Granger for a moment. "Suspects usually sit on the other side." she said.

"Yeah, they do. Sit down." he said.

Kensi glared at Granger a moment, and then went to take her seat. Out in the main hall, I watched on the plasma as Kensi took a seat on the suspect's side. The two just stared at each other for a bit, and then I walked away. As I was exited I got on the phone to Callen and Sam.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: bull pen-

"Where's Hetty?" Callen asked Eric, as he and Sam entered the bull pen.

"Not sure. What do you need?" Eric asked.

"We need Hetty. Granger is wearing out his welcome." Sam said, as he got back on the phone to call Hetty.

"You hear anything?" Callen asked.

"About what?" Eric asked.

"She's not answering her phone." Sam said.

"Okay, Granger is acting like he's about to go medieval on Kensi in the boatshed." I said.

"He say what it's about?" Callen asked.

"Any other names come up?" Sam asked.

"Whoa, I called you guys for answers. Where's Hetty?" I asked, acting like this was news to me.

"Here, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said, from the balcony. "All of you, upstairs, now."

The four of us walked up the stairs, and then followed Hetty into Ops.

"What's Granger up to now?" Sam asked.

"Like you, I can't speculate what the assistant director is up to. Maybe this will shed some light on the situation. Nell." Hetty said

"Retired Master Sergeant David Blake boarded a military flight from Hawaii and landed at LAX at approximately one a.m. this morning. He was killed four hours ago in a car accident. His rental car crashed through an on-ramp barrier off the one-oh-five freeway." Nell said.

"So, what's the connection to Kensi?" Sam asked.

"In nineteen ninety-seven, Blake was a part of a sniper-training unit. He was a spotter for a sniper by the name of Donald Blye." Nell said.

When Nell said then last name Blye, this got a look from everybody in the room. "That's Kensi's father." Eric said.

"Yes. Mr. Beale, access secure the secure server. Open a file, Ghost Redux." Hetty said.

Eric opened the file, and then first thing to pop up was a picture of Donald Blye's old unit.

"So Kensi comes from a long line of snipers. Who else can say that?" I asked.

"Still doesn't explain what Granger is up to." Callen said.

"I'm afraid it does. The last person to be in touch with Sergeant Blake before he died was Kensi." Hetty said.

I looked at the screen, while Sam and Callen shared a look.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

Granger had taken and unloaded Kensi firearm and placed her badge on the table next to the magazine. "Explain your order of business while in Hawaii." Granger said.

"You have asked me that three times. Repetitive questioning tactics to trip up your suspect, amateur, at best." Kensi said.

Granger was unfazed by Kensi comment, to which Kensi gritted her teeth and explained, for the fourth time, why she was in Hawaii.

"Again, my father belonged to a sniper-training unit at Camp Lejeune. David Blake was spotter and good friend. I went to see him because I wanted answers about my father's death."

"Answers?" he said.

"Yes, answers. Police said my dad died in a car accident. Drunk driving? My dad's brother died because of a drunk driver. There is no way he would've gotten behind of a wheel if intoxicated." she said.

Granger just stared at Kensi.

"Investigation was swept under the rug. My dad's unit was disbanded, and everybody walked away like nothing was wrong. I was left with nothing." she said.

"Okay, go on." he said.

Kensi was having a hard time believing that this idiot sitting in front of him is interrogating her, when he knows more than he's letting on to knowing.

"After I went to Hawaii, I tracked Blake down, but he claimed he didn't know anything. That's it." she said.

"Sergeant Blake died this morning in Los Angeles. Now, if his death turns out to be more than a tragic misfortune, we're gonna have a real problem." he said.

Kensi was taken back that I left out the fact that Sergeant Blake had died this morning, not that I could have said anything about that. So, Kensi had to play it off. "Why's that?" Kensi asked.

"Because you'll be the prime suspect in his murder." Granger said.

Kensi just stared at Granger.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

"Donald Blye, dead, car accident. Patrick Phearson, dead, car accident. Peter Clairmont, died in two thousand six working for a private contractor in Afghanistan. Any guess how?" Eric asked.

"Survey says car accident?" I said.

"Ding, ding, ding. Jason Klemp, Ray Duvont, also dead, also car accidents." Eric said.

So, either these guys are the world's worst drivers or—" I began.

"Someone's taking them out." Callen said, finishing my train of thought.

"Three died within the past two months. Only one alive is Jay Fisher." Eric said.

"Jay Fisher is missing. No known address or number." Nell said.

Maybe he's the one behind all of this." Callen said.

"Maybe he's dead like all the rest, but just hasn't been discovered yet." Sam said.

"Why now, after all these years?" Nell asked.

"Uh, guys, the last person to contact Duvont and Klemp before they died was Kensi." Eric said.

"Just like Blake." I said.

Callen let out a sigh. "Granger thinks Kensi's involved." Callen said.

"Give us everything you can on the sniper-training unit, starting with Kensi's father. It's all circumstantial." Sam said, and then shared a look with Callen.

"All right, Donald Blye's unit was scheduled to participate in an all-night training manoeuvre, but Blye was incinerated when his car ran off the road." Eric said.

That's when Granger decided to join the group. "MPs could only ID Blye's corpse using dental records. The official finding was Don Blye was killed in a drunk-driving accident. Kensi refused to accept it." Granger said.

"What are you trying to prove, Granger?" Sam asked.

"The sniper-training unit was a cover story. The unit was actually a black ops team used for special missions." Granger said.

"So, what's happening here? Is my partner under arrest?" I asked.

"Agent Blye isn't under arrest, but she is a suspect. It appears your partner only joined NCIS to track down those she believes are responsible for his death." Granger said.

"The men in her father's unit." Sam said.

"You're accusing Kensi of murder?" Callen asked.

"I'm saying check the facts. There's mounting evidence that ties Kensi to the deaths of those men." Granger said.

"Kensi is a first-rate agent with an impeccable record. I don't buy it."

"Well, others do." Granger said.

"Including you." Sam countered.

"Facts are facts, Agent Hanna." Granger said.

"Facts can be circumstantial, to throw somebody off the trail and place blame." I countered.

Granger and I got into a staring contest.

"Doesn't matter what we believe. But we will certainly review the facts." Hetty said, saving Granger from getting his butt beat in Ops.

"It's all right there, hard to disprove. But I'm sure you'll try." Granger said, and then turn to leave.

"You've been conducting a secret investigation the entire time you've been here." Callen said.

"What's your point?" Granger asked.

"Assistant Director, a word in my office if you would." Hetty said, as she exiting Ops.

"Of course." Granger said.

"Gentlemen, there's work to be done." Hetty said to her agents. And then Hetty and Granger left Ops.

"Let's start with Blake's car." Callen said.

"Keep us posted." Sam said.

"Got it." Eric said.

"Yeah." Nell said.

I remained at OPS, while Callen and Sam left. Down in her office, Hetty laid into Granger. "You've undermined my authority by keeping me in the dark, Owen. If you suspected Agent Blye of anything, you should have come to me first." Hetty said.

"Well, I know what a tight-knit group this is. Any other method wouldn't have generated the same results." Granger said.

"Ah! Results? This is an elite team, and you've just thrown it into chaos. I won't forget this." Hetty said.

"I know." Granger said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

L.A.P.D. impound lot-

"L.A.P.D. is treating it like an accident for now, giving us a few minutes before they get started." Sam said, as the partner's approached the car.

"Why'd Blake come to Los Angeles in the first place?" Callen asked.

"Looking for Kensi? She calls him, he hops on a flight to give her the information she was looking for?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, so pick up the phone. E-mail, send a text. Long way to travel just to talk." Callen said, as the partner put on gloves.

"That's for sure." Sam said.

There was a moment of silence before Callen asked. "If Kensi right, and her father was murdered, Blake could come over here to take her out before she found out the truth."

"Somebody took Blake out first." Sam said.

Callen was checking the floor of the car, and found a phone. He showed it to Sam, who nodded his head. Callen looked over at the attendants running the impound lot as he put the phone in his pocket. It was at this time that Sam found something bad.

"Bad news. A small charge blew the brake line. It wasn't an accident." Sam said.

It took Callen all of three seconds to say. "Which means Kensi is now officially a murder suspect."

"Only if we tell Granger." Sam said.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

Hetty and I continued watching the interrogation from Ops. Kensi had been at the boatshed for a long time that she was getting bored waiting for answers. That was until the door opened, and shut. She looked over her shoulder and saw that it was Granger.

" _When did you last contact Sergeant Blake?_ " Granger asked

" _You know what? Can we just stop this stupid dance routine and get to it? Yes, I went to see Blake to talk about my father. But get it straight. My dad was an honorable man, and the last thing I would is dishonor his memory by becoming a killer._ " Kensi said.

"So it begins." I said.

"Uh-huh." Hetty said.

" _Your father wasn't the all-American hero you think he was._ " Granger said. As he approached Kensi, Granger placed a file on the table in front of her. " _You want answers._ "

Granger walked to the other end of the table.

"What's in the file?" I asked.

"I wish I knew, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

"I mean, there's gotta be something we can do." I said, not liking that Granger is playing this stupid game.

"I think you could do more for your partner out on the streets, doing what _you do best_. Don't worry, I'll take care of her."

I give a sly smile before exiting Ops. Hetty turned back to the big screen and let out a breath that she was holding. She knew darn well that I'm barely holding my rage at bay. Though she is starting to wonder when I caught wind of this investigation that Granger was running.

Down in the gadget room, Nell and Eric were going through the phone that Sam and Callen commandeered from the impound lot.

"There has to be something on Blake's phone." Callen said, hounding Eric.

"You did say you went to MIT." Sam said, also hounding Eric.

"I'm in, but there's calls I can't get a series of calls I can't get a lock on for some reason." Eric said.

"So you're really not in." Sam said.

"I thought you could do this in you sleep." Callen said.

"In my sleep, I don't have people breathing down my neck. Except for that one dream." Eric said, taking his glasses off and relishing his fantasy.

"If you don't hurry up, it's gonna turn into a nightmare." Sam reminded Eric of the ticking clock.

"Too late." Eric said, putting his glasses back on.

"Focus, Beale, you got this." Nell said.

 _I know that tone of voice._ I thought as I entered the gadget room. Callen and Sam turned and looked at me for an update. "Kensi's holding her own, but Granger's this close to putting her on a torture rack. What's taking so long?" I asked.

"Got it. Oh, no wonder it was so difficult. The calls all originated from a federal agency account." Eric said.

"Which agency?" Callen asked.

"CIA. The number's blocked, but it definitely leads back to their network. You'd miss if you didn't know what to look for." Eric said, looking up at and Sam.

Sam raised his eyebrows at his having his own slam being thrown back at him, but it was Nell that had the last laugh.

"Not bad for MIT." Nell said.

"Call CIA's Los Angeles field office. See if they will cooperate and give us a name." Callen said.

"And if they don't hack them." Sam said.

"It looks like there are more calls on Blake's phone to a user under the single name Fish." Nell said.

Callen and I walked over to look at what Nell had found. "That could be his unit buddy. Jay Fisher?" Callen said, looking back to Sam.

"Good chance." Sam said.

"Looks like a burn phone, but I've got a phone number." Nell said.

"If it is Fisher, he called David Blake this morning. Phone has since been disconnected." Eric said.

"Not so fast. Looks like a majority of the calls originate from a cell tower in Highland Park. Silver Dollar trailer park is the closet residence in the area." Nell said.

"Good work." Sam said.

As we walked out, Nell stared longing at Eric, who had returned his attention to his computer.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Silver Dollar trailer park-

 _I hate squeezing in the back of Sam's challenger._ I thought, as Sam pull to a stop near the entrance of the trailer park

"Okay. Ouch. Did you guys ever think about getting a sedan? You know? Maybe a nice minivan? One with the sliding doors." I said, after I got out of the challenger and shut the door.

"Ever thought about walking?" Sam asked.

 _Touché._ I thought.

"You know it's only a matter of time before L.A.P.D. and Granger find out about Blake's car." Callen said.

"Find out what? I didn't find anything. You find something?" Sam asked.

"You mean other than the gaping hole in it side? What's there to find out?" Callen asked.

"Pssh!" Sam said.

"I wasn't even there." I said.

"No?" Sam asked, with a grin.

"No." I said.

"So how do you think the CIA's involved in all this?" Callen asked.

"Not a clue. I'm more concerned that Fisher lured Blake to L.A. to kill him." Sam said.

"And is Kensi next on his list. Then I guess the better question to ask would be: how did Granger get involved? Blye was a marine, and Granger was CIA." I said.

Sam and Callen stared at me a moment, and then shared a look. That is a question I've been meaning to ask Granger for quite some time, but haven't had the chance to ask. I look around the area. "They all look the same. How are we supposed to know which one's Fisher's?" I said.

"That one." Sam said, pointing to the nearest trailer. Callen and I do a double take. "The other trailers are unkempt. That one's fairly square away. Trenching tool." Sam said.

 _Should have known that._ I thought.

Callen opened the trash can and saw an empty MREs bag on top. "MREs." Callen said.

"More like MR-ews." I said. _Thank God, I never had to eat one of those._ I thought.

"After a few weeks living off the earth, you'd kill for one of those." Sam said.

"After zero considerations I happy to say hard pass." I said.

Callen walked up to the door and knocked, as he said. "Federal agents."

I gave the lane another once over, while Sam looked in the back window. I turn to see Callen draw his weapon and prepare to enter. I stepped out away from the stairs to back Callen up. Callen was the first to enter, followed by Sam, and I was last to enter. It didn't take us long to clear the trailer.

"It's all clear. No sign of struggle." Sam stepping back into the kitchen.

I saw a note pad with a pencil lying on the table next to it. I decided to try an old trick I saw in the movies, I rubbed pencil over the blank page until I was able to read what Fisher wrote, as Callen called OPS.

" _Yo._ " Eric said, answering the phone.

"Eric. We're at the Silver Dollar trailer park. Check to see if there's any security camera footage of the last twenty-four hours." Callen said, and then hung up.

"I found something." I said

"What are you one of the Hardy Boys?" Callen asked, making fun of my technique.

"More like Nancy Drew." Sam quipped.

"Yeah, you can laugh it up, boys, but check that out." I said showing the message to Callen and Sam. And then I continued. "He's got a date. What do you think that is? Alexander, shelter, five thirty."

"Could be anywhere." Sam said, as he took the note pad from me.

Callen's phone rang at that moment. "What have you got, Eric?" Callen asked.

" _Security footage from the trailer park shows a ton of people coming in and out over the last twenty-four hours. It could take days to go through all of this. There is one familiar face that stands out._ " Eric said. There was a moment of silence before Eric said. " _Kensi Blye._ "

Callen, Sam and I share a look.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Boatshed-

Hetty went to the boatshed to keep a close eye on Granger. Not that it was going to do any good. She knew darn, as did Granger, that if anything happened to Kensi there'd be no stopping me.

" _What about Marine sniper school?_ " Kensi asked.

" _It was a cover story. Your father was a member of an elite black ops unit specializing in irregular rendition."_ Granger said.

" _Let me guess. His constant trips for work wasn't to train American allies, then?_ " Kensi asked.

" _No. It was for eliminating threats to American national security._ " Granger said.

" _So, what you're saying is my father as an assassin?_ " Kensi asked.

" _Oh, of course not. The United States doesn't sanction political assassination. You wanted to know the truth._ " Granger said.

" _What, that my father never truly revealed himself to me? Thank you very much._ " Kensi asked.

" _Must run in the family._ " Granger quipped.

" _Am I free to go now?_ " Kensi asked.

" _Report on Blake's car isn't in yet, so you can come and go as you please._ " Granger said.

Kensi didn't have to be told twice. She stood up from the chair, grabbed her coat off the back, and made her way to the door.

When Kensi was walking out to the main hall she stopped when she saw Hetty. "You knew?" Kensi asked, not willing to put anything past Hetty.

"No, I did not." Hetty said.

 _Good enough._ Kensi thought, and then walked out the side door.

As she was exiting, Granger was leaving interrogation room. He made his way into main and stopped at the table. Hetty gather her thoughts before asking. "So, I assume the purpose of that ludicrous exhibition was to, what, examine her reaction?"

"She's a seasoned undercover agent. You heard her, she has motive. If this were anyone else, it wouldn't be an issue." Granger said.

"You are wrong on this, Owen." Hetty said.

"Let me explain something to you. If it turns out Blye's responsible for these murders, Director Vance has no option but to consider you team compromised and disbanded." Granger said.

"Good luck with that." Hetty said, and then turned and walked away.

Just as she got to the door, Hetty turned and asked. "Does Director Vance know that you were also a handler for Donald Blye's old unit?"

Granger turned and stared at Hetty, wondering how she knew that little bit of information.

"Didn't think so." Hetty said, and then left the building.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Kensi house-

Kensi had one of her dad's medals out on the table, but she was cleaning his rifle. Something to take her mind off the stressful situation. Out of nowhere, someone started knocking on her door. She didn't want any company, so she ignore the person and continued cleaning the rifle.

The person knocked again, and Kensi realized that they weren't going to leave unless she answered the door. So she covered up the rifle, and then went to see who was knocking. When Kensi pulled the blind back, she couldn't believe who was knocking.

Kensi opened the door, and was standing face to face with me.

I took a quick sip of my coffee and said. "You know the convenience store around the corner really sucks. All they had was stale coffee and fuzzy doughnuts."

"Deeks, it's not a good time." Kensi said.

"It would be kind of a pity to waste mediocre cup of coffee." I said, Kensi blinked her eyes at me. "Here just hold it, and then I'll…"

"Deeks—Oh." She began, but I pretended to drop the cup just so she would move out of the way. Although though I did spill some on her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry about that." I said, as Kensi shook the coffee off of hand. I made light of her falling for my prank. "God, I can't believe you fell for that."

I made way over to her couch as she shut the door. "Just so you know, you've got two undercover agents outside watching you." I said, as I picked up a piece of paper off her couch.

"Yes, I know. Um—" she began. Kensi placed the coffee on the coffee table.

"Just to clarify, when did you start moonlighting as a hit man? I mean you got the whole federal agents by day and killer by night. I mean it real does have summer blockbuster written over it." I said. I picked up a small journal during my speech, and Kensi took the journal from me .

"Well, if it were true, guess who my next victim would be." she threatened.

"Wow. Awesome." I said, and then reach for a blanket that was covering a mess on the table.

"No, no, no." she said.

Underneath the blanket was her dad's old rifle. I take what it must look like, and then I realize why Kensi was doing. I looked at Kensi with a smile on my face. _That's my girl._ I thought.

"What?" she asked, when she saw my smile.

"Nothing." I said.

"What do you guys have so far?" she asked, as she walked away from me.

"David Blake's car was tampered with. His brake line were rigged with a small explosive. It looks like he was murdered." I said.

"You don't think it was—"

"Not for a second." I said.

Kensi smiled for a moment, and then asked. "Why hasn't Granger arrest me?"

 _Crap._ I thought, as I said. "Because we haven't told him yet."

Kensi couldn't believe what she just heard. But I continue anyways. "Thought we could buy ourselves a little bit of time, but Forensics is eventually going to find it." I said.

Kensi walked over and sat on her couch. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled something out as I said. "I realize that this is the point in the conversation when I say something profound and life-affirming, so I actually came prepared." I clear my throat and then read what I had written. "Everything is going to be fine." I look at the paper, and then flip it over to the other to see the other side was blank. "That's…"

"That's it?" she asked, hoping for something a little more to help lift her spirits.

"Seemed longer when I was writing it. Probably sounds better, like, in Latin. It's more profound if I say it." I said scrambling to cover my butt, but it didn't matter. Kensi started laughing. "But you're laughing, so it obviously worked." I continued

"Yeah. Hmm." She looked up at me with a smile.

I rubbed my mouth as I took a seat.

"There's a lot about what's going on that I haven't told you." she said.

"But I'm your partner. You can tell me anything." I said.

"I haven't told you to protect you. Because there are—"

My cell phone started to ring, and I didn't want to answer it. As it rang the second time, Kensi asked. "Are you going to get that?"

"Wasn't planning on it." I said, nonchalantly.

The phone kept ringing, and Kensi said motioned that I should answer the phone. I pulled my phone out and answered. "It's Deeks."

" _Mr. Deeks, I need you to take Kensi into custody. I'm sorry, it's protocol._ " Hetty said.

"Yeah, no, copy that. Yeah." I said.

" _Sooner rather than later._ " Hetty said.

"Yeah. No, I got it." I said.

" _All right._ " Hetty said.

"Okay." I said and then hung up. "Uh…"

"What?" Kensi asked.

"That was Hetty. L.A.P.D. discovered that Blake's car was rigged. I gotta bring you in." I said.

Kensi gave me a sad look, but she knew I had to.

"Is it all right if I give you a hug?" I asked.

Kensi thought against, but conceded. "All right." Kensi said.

Kensi and I hugged for the first time, ever, and it felt like I was hugging Kenzie. Kensi relaxed momentarily, but then straightened up.


	48. Oscar Sierra Part II

OPS: gadget room-

"So the CIA, surprisingly cooperative." Eric said.

"Once Hetty made a call." Nell said.

"Uh, the other number Blake called this morning was to a CIA employee name Alex Harris." Eric said, pointing to Nell's computer.

It took him a moment, but Sam said. "Deeks found the name Alex at Fisher's trailer."

"Harris currently has a position as a foreign policy analyst. But back in the nineties, he was the handler for Donald Blye's black ops unit." Nell said.

"Why didn't Granger mention Harris earlier?" Callen asked.

"Where Alex Harris now?" Sam asked.

"That's where CIA cooperation ended. Once they suspected Harris was mixed up in something, they shut us down." Eric said.

"Harris might be taking out members of his old team." Sam hypothesized.

"They might have had something on him." Callen said.

"And Kensi snooping around set him in motion." Sam said.

At that moment, the four of them heard Granger say. "Thank you, Agent Deeks."

"I didn't do it for you, Granger." I said.

Sam and Callen walked out to see what was going on.

"Bad news, Agent Blye. Forensics team figured out David Blake's car was sabotaged. It's funny how three trained agents missed that." Granger said.

"Well, we're only human." Callen said.

"Orders from D.C. I have to take you into custody." Granger said.

"I'm not going anywhere." Kensi said, flatly.

"You're going to a secure location where you will not have access to NCIS intel or personnel." Granger said.

"That's what you think." I said in a high-pitched tone. Kensi looked up at me, knowing full well what I just said.

"What was that Agent Deeks?" Granger asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"You're the assistant director. You're telling me you can't hold off until we solve this?" Callen asked.

"There's this thing called protocol." Granger began.

I cut in with a bunch of babble, cutting Granger off. "Let me stop you right there, _sir_. If you're going to accuse us of not following protocol, that's the pot calling the kettle black." I said.

Everybody stared at me bug-eyed. "You're not helping your partner." Granger said.

"Kind of hard to help my partner, when you have information pertinent to the case that you have been sitting on for fifteen years." I said. All eyes fell on Granger, but I continued. "But, hey, what do I know. I have a problem with following protocol."

Granger glared at me, but changed the subject. "Think of this as protective custody." Granger said.

"Why?" Callen asked.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why would I kill Blake?" Kensi asked.

"I need a moment with Miss Blye." Hetty said.

"Of course." Granger said.

As Kensi walked over to Hetty, an agent walked behind Granger saying. "Excuse me, sir. The director would like to know if you intend to bring charges."

"Tell the director that is a distinct possibility, Agent Clookie." Granger said.

"Yes, sir." Clookie said.

"Thank you." Granger said.

Agent Clookie returned the phone back to his ear as he was walking away. Granger returned his attention to us, and then looked over at Hetty and Kensi.

"We seem to find ourselves in a bit of a pinch. But I want you to know that you are not alone." Hetty said.

"Hetty, I didn't do this." Kensi pleaded.

"I know, Kensi. We'll do all we can." Hetty said.

"Agent Blye? We have to go." Granger said.

"Go." Hetty said.

We watched as Granger walked out with Kensi, who was flanked by two other agents in suits. As they were walking out, Eric walked up to tell us something, but got distracted by Granger.

"What is it, Eric?" Sam asked.

"Uh, Fisher's burn phone went back online. I tracked him to the old theatre district downtown." Eric said.

"It's a good place to hide out. Keep feeding us coordinates." Callen said.

Hetty watched at the three of us leave. Up in Ops, Nell and Eric were looking for any information that would give us an edge. Eric went through the files that Kensi had requested.

"Looks like Kensi's been requesting files related to her father's death for years." Eric said.

"Well, according to this, all the files Kensi requested were routed through the same desk at the DOD." Nell said.

The name on the screen was a shocker: Granger, Owen Deputy Director NCIS.

"Granger's." Eric said, not believing what he was seeing.

"If Granger's known for years that Kensi's been digging into the mystery of her father's death, then why wouldn't he tell us?" Nell asked, also not letting on to the fact that she already knew this.

Eric and Nell shared a look, as he said. "I'm not liking the sound of this,"

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Theatre district-

As we entered the old Los Angeles theatre, weapons drawn, Callen was on the phone to Ops. Sam entered first, I followed Sam in, and Callen was the last enter.

" _According to his last transmission, you guys should be right on top of him. Fisher's GPS went out, but he's somewhere inside the old Los Angeles theatre._ " Eric said

"Got it, Eric." Callen said, and then ended the call. Callen whispered between the three of us. " _He's in the building. You cover left, you cover right, I'll go up_.

Sam and I took the ground floor. Sam took the left said, as I covered the right side. Sam and I called an all clear, but Callen had company. Callen got into quick scuffle with Fisher, which ended with Fisher kicking Callen off of him and escaping out a side door.

Sam and I were approaching Callen as he was getting back to his feet.

"G." Sam said.

"It's Fisher." Callen said, pointing the direction that Fisher had escaped.

As we exited the theatre, Fisher was already on his bike, and making a break for it. That was until his bike blew up. We could hear civilians screaming and shouting as they scrambled to safety. All we could do was walk over to wreckage of the explosion.

"That is not a good way to go out." I said.

Callen called it in, and we waited for L.A.P.D. and the coroner to arrive. I walked up to Callen and Sam as the coroner and his assistant were lifting Fisher's body into the van.

"So what's the play?" I asked.

"What?" Callen asked.

"What's the play? What's our next step?" I asked.

"I think what Callen was asking is why you didn't ask about Kensi." Sam said.

"I'm pretty certain Granger would come to the conclusion that Kensi set the explosives before she was capture, but how did she know where Fisher was when she was in interrogation for the better part of twelve hours. On top of that, Kensi has no explosives training. If she needed help with that, she would have contacted you." I said, nodding my head at Sam.

Sam and Callen shared a look, but I went back to my original question. "What's our play here?" I asked.

Sam and Callen shared a look. "No? Maybe we can pull something off of this. Fisher must have dropped it when you guys were brawling." I said, producing an evidence bag with Fisher's phone in it.

Sam looked at the phone, and then looked off into the distance.

"I know that look." Callen said.

"The job is done. Fisher was the last living member of Donald Blye's unit. If I was Alex Harris… I'd be on a flight right now." Sam said, motioning with his hands also.

"Then we're going to need a miracle to find him." I said.

Callen had idea, and then reached over and took the bag from me. Callen pulled the phone out of the bag, and dialed a number.

" _Hello._ " a voice said on the other end.

"Eric, I'm calling you from Fisher's phone. See if he contacted Alex Harris. We may be to locate him if he did." Callen said.

There was silence for a moment, and then Eric came back on the line. " _Okay, there are several repeating numbers._ " Eric said.

" _One of them traces back to David Blake, and another is untraceable. Probably Harris._ " Nell said.

" _Nothing is untraceable. We just have to get creative._ " Eric said.

"Maybe we're overthinking this. Why not just call Harris from Fisher's phone?" Callen asked.

"If Harris killed Fisher, why would he answer Fisher's call?" Sam asked.

"Curiosity." I said.

"If Harris didn't kill Fisher, he'd probably answer." Callen said.

Sam nodded his slightly. "But that would mean Kensi…" but Sam trailed off.

"Won't know unless we call him." I said.

" _Look if Harris answers we can lock in and track him._ " Eric interrupted.

"Make the call, Eric." Callen said.

The next thing Callen heard was the line to Harris phone begin to ring. After three rings, the call ended. " _What now?_ " Eric asked.

"We keep looking." Callen said, and then ended the call.

As we were heading back into the building, I pulled out my phone. I checked my screen and saw nothing. Just a dot flashing on the screen. I put my phone away as we were entering the main hall.

"So what now?" Callen asked.

"We know Fisher was meeting Harris, but where?" Sam asked.

"Eric and Nell couldn't find much on Fisher." Callen said.

"Yeah, but Kensi did. She was able to track Fisher to the trailer park. Maybe she has more information" I said.

"Kind of hard to ask her. Granger's got her holed up." Callen said.

"Maybe the info's on her computer." I said.

"I doubt she would keep that sort of thing at work." Sam said.

"Maybe it's her home computer." I suggested.

Callen shot Sam a look. One that Sam took as _couldn't hurt to try._

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Kensi house-

"Just your basic stuff. Bills, magazines, gossips sites." Callen said.

"Could be a protected file." Sam said.

Callen type in a command to bring up a search box, and he typed in hidden files, and he was rewarded with a hit. "Ah. Hidden director. Its password protected." Callen said.

"Try "king of the world," all caps, no spaces." I said.

Sam and Callen both stared at me, wondering how I knew that.

" _Titanic_ is her favorite movie." I said. They still continued to stare at me. "I'm an investigator, I investigate." I said.

"Yeah? You'll investigate a black eye if you've been on my computer." Sam threatened.

I heard the computer beep, followed by Callen saying. "We're in."

"Yeah." I said, looking back at the computer.

"Fisher. There." Sam said, pointing to a file with Fisher's name on it.

Callen brought the information that Kensi had gathered on Fisher. "Okay. Well, it looks like Fisher was a paranoid survivalist. He moved around a lot. Stockpiled a lot of gear and different supplies." Callen said.

"Sounds familiar." Sam chimed in.

Callen looked over at Sam, and then continued. The next thing we were looking at were surveillance photos. "All right she had surveillance on the trailer park, the theatre down town. Civil defense shelter in Highland Park." Callen said.

"Civil defense shelter? Hold on a second." I said, remembering that note pad I scribbled on. "The note is: Alexander, shelter, five thirty." I said.

"Could be where Fisher was meeting Harris. Worth checking out." Sam said.

"Let's do it." Callen said.

Both Callen and Sam walked out, but I had the decency to close out the files.

N.C.I.S. L.A

Civil defense shelter-

"Bomb shelter? Doesn't look like it would stop a sake bomb." I said, as we walked down the entrance ramp.

"Must be fortified inside." Sam said, and then checked how sturdy the walls were.

"Kensi's no fool. She was obviously case the place for a reason. Hey." Callen said, and then showed us the padlock. Which was sporting a new bullet hole in it.

"All right, what kind of paranoid nutcase has a bomb shelter?" I asked.

"I have one." Sam said.

"What?" I asked. _Great, here we go_. I thought.

"Yeah. Me and my family cans stay there for months." Sam said.

"I wasn't talking about you." I said, stopping there.

"I have one too." Callen chimed in.

"Whoa, whoa. Just because you squat there from time to time doesn't make it yours." Sam interjected.

"Hey, it's me and you against him. That's how it works." Callen said.

"Sorry. Habit." Sam said.

"Even together, you two still wouldn't be able to beat me." I reminded the partners.

Sam rolled his eyes at me, and then said. "I have one."

As the three of us entered the shelter, I said. "Hey, listen, can you guys do me a favor? Maybe not scream out federal agents this time? Because that's usually tend to start shooting." I said.

We walked down a flight of stairs, and then first thing we noticed is a light was on. Callen lowered his weapon, and started to look around. But it was Sam who was the first to notice something out of place. Sam pointed to a ledge without lowering his weapon. "Look at the dust." Sam said.

On the ledge, there was a spot were a small square object used to be, but the spot where the object used to sit was void of dust. Sam found another spot of missing dust. It was a fifty-five gallon drum with a pump one of its opening. "Same here." I said.

We were coming up to a hallway that shrunk into a bottle neck. Sam grabbed a small container, and then prepared to throw it. When he threw it, we all took cover because when the container hit, someone started firing.

"Federal agents!" Sam shouted.

"Prove it! Toss out your badge!" the man shouted.

"Well, that has gotta be the first time that's has ever worked." I said, shocked at our luck.

"Carefully!" the man shouted.

Sam pulled out his badge, and then tossed it to the man. The man saw the badge, and then slid his gun toward us. I picked up the gun, as he shouted. "I'm coming out!"

"Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands." Sam shouted.

 _So that's what Alex Harris looks like._ I thought, when Alex Harris walked into the light.

Sam slowly walked over to Alex just in case he was going to try anything funny.

"Alex Harris, CIA. You need to get me into protective custody now." Alex said.

"Walk towards me. Hands on the wall." Sam said, in case Alex had other traps in play.

Sam check Alex for any other weapons, and then we took him to the boatshed.

N.C.I.S L.A.

Boatshed-

When we got to the boatshed, I looked at my phone again and saw that the dot was on the move. _Really._ I thought, and then turned my attention to the plasma. Granger and I watch as Callen and Sam interrogated Alex Harris. Callen, who was sitting at the table, led with photos of Jay Fisher from the crime scene earlier today.

" _Jay Fisher was killed today._ " Callen said.

" _We think it was you._ " Sam said, who was standing to Callen's right.

There was a moment of silence. All Alex did was stare at both Sam and Callen. When Callen glared at Alex, and rolled his hand in Sam's direction, did Alex speak. " _Gentlemen, I'm sure you're good at what you do, but no way in hell I go on record with three cameras, a parabolic mic, and probably a class five fiber-optic scope pointed at me._ "

" _Some's out there whacking members of your old team. We could release you and let you talk to them if you'd prefer._ " Sam said.

" _You could. But then Blye's daughter never finds out the truth. I'll talk, just not on record_." Alex said.

I look over Granger, who was staring at the plasma. _What are you thinking about?_ I thought.

" _Okay. What is that you want?_ " Sm asked.

" _Protection._ " Alex said.

" _In exchange for?_ " Callen asked, his patience was running thin.

" _I tell you everything I know, but only to Blye's daughter at a location of my choice._ " Alex said.

" _What's in it for you?_ " Callen asked.

" _Redemption._ " Alex said.

Sam thought for a moment, and then asked. " _Why do you care so much about Kensi Blye?_ "

" _She deserves to know the truth about her father._ " Alex said.

Callen grabbed the photos off the table, put them in the file, and then partner's left.

"Well, pick or delivery? Kensi, that is, not lunch. I'm going to get her." I said, get from the table and then walk towards the door.

"No you won't." Granger said.

"You're going to have to bring her in. Harris isn't going to talk without her." Callen said, as he placed the file on the table.

"Unless you want to go in there and talk to him." I suggested, walking back towards the table.

"I will not let a suspect dictated the direction of the investigation. For all we know, he could be trying to kill Agent Blye." Granger said, ignoring my jab.

"Oh, I thought you believed it was Kensi trying to kill him." Callen said, reminding Granger of his decision earlier.

Granger just stared at Callen.

"We know about you giving Kensi access to her father's files. And we're not gonna hesitate to reveal your involvement in the matter to anyone in the chain of command. That's right up to SECNAV." Callen said.

"What were you saying earlier about us not following protocol?" I asked.

"I don't know what the game is that you're playing, but you're gonna lose." Sam said.

"Is that a veiled threat, Agent Hanna?" Granger asked.

"I don't do veiled." Sam said.

There was a moment silence before Granger said. "Fine, we'll bring her in."

Granger dialed the number to one of the people holding Kensi.

"Yeah, it's Granger." Granger answered.

" _Assistant Director, Agent Blye has escaped._ " the man on the other said.

"How?" Granger asked.

" _She got the jump on us, sir._ " he said.

Granger lowered the phone and said. "Agent Blye has escaped." Granger said, and then walked away as he raised the phone back to his ear.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

Unknown public location-

Hetty was waiting on a park bench as Kensi was walking up. Kensi looked back to make sure she wasn't followed, and then sat down on the bench next to Hetty.

There was a moment of silence. "Sorry." Kensi said. Hetty look at Kensi like she was crazy. "They wouldn't let call you, and I—"

"No. no. We don't have time for that. There's a lot of damning evidence in here. I've seen careers more mature than yours ruined over less, but they weren't nearly as strong as you are." Hetty said.

Kensi stared at Hetty, fearing that she might lose her job over this. Hetty paused a moment before continuing. "Why came to NCIS isn't important. It's what you do moving forward from here. You're not who your past says you are. You're who you choose to be."

Hetty paused briefly before speaking again. "Callen, Sam and Deeks have tracked down Alex Harris. He was the handler for your father's black ops team."

"Well, then, I wanna talk to him." Kensi said.

"Good. He wants to speak with you, but only you. We don't wanna test Harris. He's too savvy. That means no wires, no comms. We'll be blind." Hetty said. There was a pregnant pause, the women staring at each other, before Hetty said. "You don't have to do this, Kensi."

"Oh, but I do. If I don't, I may never find the truth." Kensi said.

Hetty knew that Kensi was determined to go out there. Hetty wouldn't have been doing her job if she didn't try to persuade Kensi. Hetty raised the file to reveal a gun. "You'll need this. A girl has to take steps protect herself."

Kensi stood up, and placed the gun in the holster in her waist band. "Thank you." Kensi said.

"Please, be careful." Hetty said, handing Kensi the file.

"I will." Kensi said, and then left with the file in hand.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

OPS: Ops-

"Do we have satellite access?" Callen asked, as he and Sam entered Ops.

"I won't have picture for another forty-five minutes, but I found something else. Granger has an e-trail as long as Hetty's, and it all looks by the numbers until I cross-referenced Granger's file with Donald Blye case. Granger and Harris were in the same division at the CIA." Eric said, bring up an old photo and zoomed in on Granger and Harris's faces.

"As soon as we prove Kensi's innocence, we're going after Granger." Sam said.

"Deal." Callen said, and then the partner's left OPS to go make the meet.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The location for the meet-

Nell pulled the car to a stop, and then Harris, Nell and I got out. I was the first to get out, and as Harris was getting out, I threatened him.

"Just to clarify, if anything happens to Kensi, you going to be dealing with me for the rest of you soon-to-be-very-short life." I said.

"Your boss know about you two? You're either lying to yourself or your hiding from it. Either way, son, it makes the job harder." Harris said.

"Well, _son_ , I want to leave you with one thought. And that thought is that both I and my boss are Phantom agents." I said.

I smirk when I saw the blood drain from Harris face. "Move it." I said, pushing Harris.

N.C.I.S. L.A

Challenger-

"I hope Kensi's got her head in the game." Sam said.

"She's been in worse jams." Callen said.

"Physically, yes, but not after learning that everything about her father was wrong." Sam said.

"Nothing is worse than not knowing." Callen said.

"Talking about Kensi or you? What if the answers you find aren't the ones you're looking for?" Sam asked.

"You know the motto that's engraved at the CIA headquarters in Langley?" Callen asked.

"John eight: thirty-two. Ye shall know the truth, and then truth shall make you free." Sam said.

"Amen." Callen said.

The partner's shared a look, and then looked back out the windshield.

N.C.I.S. L.A.

The meet site-

I watched Kensi start walking towards us from the tree line. I take stock of the situation: she's alive and unharmed. No noticeable injuries, limps, or bruises. I just don't know what's going to happen from here. As soon as Kensi approaches the table I leave, making my way back over toward Nell.

Harris pulled a small set of binoculars, and scanned the area.

"What are you doing? Is there a problem?" Kensi asked.

"I'm making sure we're not being watched or followed." Harris said.

 _We're being watched. Of that, I'm sure._ Kensi thought, and then leaned against the table.

Off in the distance, Callen and Sam were watching.

"I don't like this. We don't have ears or eyes." Sam said.

"No, we couldn't take that chance. Kensi can handle herself." Callen said.

"I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it." Sam said.

Nell and I were getting bored waiting for the meeting to be over with, but there wasn't much we could do.

It was a good minute or two before Kensi said. "Let me be clear. I will not hesitate to kill you."

"I expect nothing less. It's in your blood." Alex said.

Kensi gave Alex look that said, _Don't be coy with me._ "Why did you kill Blake and Fisher?" Kensi asked.

"I didn't. Blake came to L.A. to meet Fisher and me so we could try and figure out a way to stay alive." he said.

"From who?" she asked.

"You, we thought at first." he said. There was a slight paused before he said. "I know what happened to your father."

Kensi stood and glared at Alex.

"He didn't die in a car accident. He was murdered. His death was staged to look like an accident. The man that is killing off the team is the same man who killed your father." he said.

"Okay, who is he? What's his name?" she asked.

"After he takes me out, he's coming for you." Alex said.

"What is his name?" Kensi said, but her question never got answered. Half way through her sentence, a gun shot rang out and the bullet killed Alex Harris. Kensi reached for her gun, but decided it was better run.

From their hide spot, Callen and Sam took off as Sam shouted out. "Kensi!"

Two more shots were heard. The third bullet found a home in the side of Kensi Blye. Kensi hit the ground hard, and didn't get back up.


End file.
